Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake elected as Sri Lanka’s president
Dissanayake was declared winner after the presidential race went to a second tally as neither of the top two candidates secured the required 50% of votes.
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Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected as the next president of Sri Lanka on Sunday, reported the AP.
Leader of the National People’s Power, Dissanayake secured 5,740,179 or 42.3% of the votes, followed by Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who got 4,530,902 or 32.8% of votes.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who assumed office two years ago after the country’s economy collapsed, was in the third spot with under 20% of the vote share.
On Monday, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena announced his resignation from the post, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new president.
Dissanayake was declared winner after the presidential race went to a second tally as neither of the top two candidates secured the required 50% of votes, reported Reuters.
Under Sri Lanka’s electoral system, voters cast three preferential votes. A second round of counting is held between the top two candidates if no candidate secures 50% of the votes in the first count.
The elections on Saturday saw a voter turnout of 75%.
“This achievement is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you,” Dissanayake said in a social media post. “Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory belongs to all of us.”
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