Among the three losing candidates in the Sri Lankan presidential election, Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the left-wing camp is considered the leading candidate.
A campaign rally by left-wing presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo, Sri Lanka, September 18. Photo: Chamila Karunarathne/epa
Colombo Taz | There is little left in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, to remind us of the massive civil unrest two years ago, when protesters occupied the Galle Face Green seaside promenade and government buildings to vent their anger at the political leadership and economic mismanagement.
The country was in the midst of a severe economic crisis. Inflation was high and there were shortages of petrol, fertilizers and other essential imports due to a shortage of foreign currency. The then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of the Sri Lanka People’s Front (SLPP) was forced to flee and resign in July 2022. Since then, the country has been waiting for a new political beginning.
The presidential election on Saturday, September 21, could now be the opportunity. 17 million people, including about 1 million first-time voters, are eligible to vote. Forecasts predict a high turnout.
“Many people want a party other than the SLPP to win this time. One that represents a just and fair society,” said Chanika Jayakaduwa, who participated in the protest at the time.
Fear of the extravagance of the presidential family
She was astonished by the extravagance enjoyed by President Rajapaksa and his family. “The expensive clothes and jewels we found in the presidential palace were astonishing, while the poor cannot afford even three meals a day,” she said.
Rajapaksa’s Buddhist nationalist party, the SLPP, has since lost much of its popularity. Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his left-wing National Party (NPP) have benefited from the Rajapaksa family’s withdrawal. “Dissanayake has been ahead of the other candidates by 5 to 15 percentage points in recent months,” said Ravi Rannan-Eliya, a pollster at the Colombo-based Institute for Health Policy (IHP).
Dissanayake’s anti-corruption message is particularly popular with younger Sri Lankans. He also has a clear lead among the Sinhalese majority, who make up 80 percent of the electorate, according to Rannan-Eliya.
Dissanayake is considered the strongest candidate, although he is unlikely to win the 50% required by the constitution. If no candidate gets more than 50%, voters’ second and third preferences will be considered. This could be the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that this has happened.
In addition to the Marxist Dissanayake, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa is also running for president. The 57-year-old enjoys support from Muslims and the Tamil minority. But without the broad support of the Sinhalese majority, he will have difficulty winning. In the 2019 election, he received 42% of the vote, while Gotabaya Rajapaksa received 52%.
However, incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe could also get votes from the minority and Sinhalese majority. Wickremesinghe was elected to parliament in 2022, where the SLPP holds a majority and is considered a political force.
But at 75, he is an experienced politician. Under his leadership, the island nation’s heavily indebted economy has recovered. In 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provided Sri Lanka with $2.9 billion in aid.
