Sri Lanka holds its first presidential election since the country declared bankruptcy
54 years, 11 months ago

Sri Lanka holds its first presidential election since the country declared bankruptcy

Associated Press  

DATE OF ELECTION Likely in November TYPE OF ELECTION Presidential WHO’S RUNNING Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe could run, seeking a mandate for his tough economic reforms, as the country strives to recover from its worst economic crisis in recent history. WHY IT MATTERS TO THE WORLD The election will be the first held after Sri Lanka was roiled by a severe economic crisis in 2022. The country declared bankruptcy amid a severe shortage of food, fuel and other necessities, triggering protests that caused the-then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee and resign. The election also comes amid an IMF recovery program that kicked in last year, which opposition members have been critical of due to heavy taxes and privatization plans to meet targets.

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History of this topic

Challenges before the new Sri Lankan Government
1 week, 2 days ago

Challenges before the new Sri Lankan Government

New Indian Express  

In 2024, Sri Lanka witnessed seismic political shifts. In the second half of this year, voters installed a hitherto untried president and a new government, with the fervent hope that the old order should give way to a better new order. It’s taken the rather conservative Sri Lankan voters 76 years to move away from feudal parties and experiment with …

How history has come full circle with Sri Lankan President Dissanayake's visit to India
Trending News
1 week, 3 days ago

How history has come full circle with Sri Lankan President Dissanayake's visit to India

New Indian Express  

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lanka's newly elected president, is visiting New Delhi for the second time in just 10 months. But Delhi was keenly aware of Sri Lanka's changing political landscape and the possibility of Dissanayake becoming the island's next president, whenever an election was called. In recent years, India has made significant investments in Sri Lanka's infrastructure and will …

Sri Lanka’s Marxist-leaning president appoints his Cabinet after a resounding election win
1 month ago

Sri Lanka’s Marxist-leaning president appoints his Cabinet after a resounding election win

Live Mint  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning president swore in a 21-member Cabinet on Monday after his party secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority in last week’s election. Sri Lanka’s crisis was largely the result of economic mismanagement combined with fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, which along with militant attacks in 2019 devastated the important tourism industry. Sri Lanka’s economic …

‘Need a change’: Sri Lanka’s leftist win sparks hopes, bridges old divides
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

‘Need a change’: Sri Lanka’s leftist win sparks hopes, bridges old divides

Al Jazeera  

President Dissanayake’s party has won a two-thirds majority in parliament, including among Tamils and Muslims. Dissanayake’s National People’s Power won a landslide majority in Thursday’s parliamentary election, securing 159 seats in a house of 225 members – representing a comfortable two-thirds majority. They have shown they need a change from the old politics.” Vote for change According to political analyst …

Landslide win for Sri Lanka president's leftist coalition in snap polls
Top News
1 month, 1 week ago

Landslide win for Sri Lanka president's leftist coalition in snap polls

Raw Story  

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake thanked voters Friday for delivering his leftist coalition a landslide victory in snap parliamentary elections that repudiated establishment parties blamed for triggering an economic crisis. Dissanayake, a self-avowed Marxist, swept September presidential elections on a promise to combat graft and recover stolen assets, two years after a slow-motion financial crash imposed widespread hardships on …

Sri Lanka votes in parliamentary election
Top News
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka votes in parliamentary election

China Daily  

Updated: 2024-11-15 10:24 A woman walks out of a polling station with her daughter after casting her vote in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo on Thursday. THILINA KALUTHOTAGE / REUTERS COLOMBO — Sri Lankans were voting in a parliamentary election on Thursday that is key for the country's new president to follow through on promises of economic recovery. "I expect a …

Sri Lanka votes in parliamentary election
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka votes in parliamentary election

China Daily  

A woman walks out of a polling station with her daughter after casting her vote in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo on Thursday. THILINA KALUTHOTAGE / REUTERS COLOMBO — Sri Lankans were voting in a parliamentary election on Thursday that is key for the country's new president to follow through on promises of economic recovery. "I expect a new country, a …

Landslide win for Sri Lanka’s leftist coalition in snap general elections
1 month, 1 week ago

Landslide win for Sri Lanka’s leftist coalition in snap general elections

Al Jazeera  

President Dissanayake now has the mandate he needs to tackle corruption and recover stolen assets after financial crash. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s leftist coalition has achieved a landslide victory in snap parliamentary elections, delivering the self-described Marxist leader a powerful mandate to fight poverty and corruption in the crisis-stricken nation. The Election Commission of Sri Lanka said on …

Why Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election today matters for its future
1 month, 1 week ago

Why Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election today matters for its future

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The parliamentary election in Sri …

Sri Lankan Parliamentary elections begin with issues of welfare, economic reforms at stake | WATCH
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lankan Parliamentary elections begin with issues of welfare, economic reforms at stake | WATCH

India TV News  

Colombo: Sri Lankans began voting on Thursday in a snap election to decide if the Indian Ocean island will give its new leftist president greater strength to help the poor as it recovers from a financial meltdown. "I think we are seeing the first signs of a positive political change in Sri Lanka after the president was elected and we …

Sri Lanka: Economic crisis, political change, and reconciliation | Interview with Ahilan Kadirgamar
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka: Economic crisis, political change, and reconciliation | Interview with Ahilan Kadirgamar

The Hindu  

Published : Nov 14, 2024 14:38 IST - 1 MIN READ On November 14, 2024, Sri Lankans began voting in the snap parliamentary election, the first major test of the ruling National People’s Power party led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Having failed to secure 50 per cent of the vote at the September 21 presidential election, Mr. Dissanayake is …

Sri Lankans vote in parliamentary election
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lankans vote in parliamentary election

Deccan Chronicle  

Colombo: Sri Lankans on Thursday began voting in the snap parliamentary election, the first major test of the ruling National People's Power party led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.The voting is taking place at over 13,314 polling stations across the country. Sri Lankans on Thursday began voting in the snap parliamentary election, the first major test of the ruling National …

Sri Lanka votes today: President Dissanayake faces litmus test as NPP aims for majority control
Top News
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka votes today: President Dissanayake faces litmus test as NPP aims for majority control

Live Mint  

Sri Lankans are heading to the polls today for a crucial parliamentary election that will determine the future political landscape of the island nation. Dissanayake's Presidential Win in Sri Lanka In September, Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the presidential election, marking a significant shift away from the traditional political parties that have ruled Sri Lanka since its independence in 1948. Dissanayake’s …

Sri Lanka votes in parliamentary election in President Dissanayake’s first test; results tomorrow
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka votes in parliamentary election in President Dissanayake’s first test; results tomorrow

Firstpost  

Sri Lanka votes in a snap general election on Thursday, called by new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to secure a majority in parliament to back his policies in the island nation struggling to recover from a crushing financial crisis A police officer checks the voter slip of a woman as she arrives to vote on the day of the parliamentary …

Sri Lanka Leader Seeks to Bolster Power With Parliamentary Vote
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka Leader Seeks to Bolster Power With Parliamentary Vote

Live Mint  

-- Sri Lanka holds its first parliamentary elections since the victory of its outsider leftist president, in a test of his ambitious pledges to combat corruption and rewrite an unpopular International Monetary Fund loan program. Anura Kumara Dissanayake called for early polls on the heels of his victory in the Sept. 21 presidential election, widely seen as a stunning rebuke …

Voting ends in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election that’s key for its new Marxist-leaning president
1 month, 1 week ago

Voting ends in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election that’s key for its new Marxist-leaning president

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankans voted in a parliamentary election Thursday that is key for the country’s new, Marxist-leaning president to consolidate his party’s power and follow through on promises of economic recovery. The biggest challenge for the NPP — which was founded in 2019 and is a relative newcomer on Sri Lanka’s political scene — is that many …

Sri Lanka parliamentary elections 2024: What’s at stake?
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka parliamentary elections 2024: What’s at stake?

Al Jazeera  

Here is why the upcoming parliamentary election is so significant for newly-elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Sri Lankans will cast ballots in a snap parliamentary election on Thursday, months after electing a Marxist-leaning president in the Indian island nation’s first election since the 2022 economic meltdown and political crisis. “At stake is the ability of newly-elected President Dissanayake to pursue …

Sri Lanka votes in a parliamentary election that's key for its new Marxist-leaning president
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka votes in a parliamentary election that's key for its new Marxist-leaning president

New Indian Express  

COLOMBO: Sri Lankans are voting in a parliamentary election Thursday that is key for the country's new, Marxist-leaning president to consolidate his party's power and follow through on promises of economic recovery. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the presidential election on Sept. 21 in a victory that marked a rejection of the traditional political parties, which have governed the island …

Sri Lankan president seeks party win in parliamentary election to help him push his economic reforms
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lankan president seeks party win in parliamentary election to help him push his economic reforms

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is looking to consolidate his party’s power in Thursday’s parliamentary election to help him implement his election pledges to solve the country’s economic woes and foster good governance. The election comes at a decisive time for Sri Lankans, as the island nation emerges from its worst economic crisis, having declared …

Sri Lanka Election 2024: Tamil Support Surges for President Dissanayake in Jaffna Ahead of Parliamentary Vote
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka Election 2024: Tamil Support Surges for President Dissanayake in Jaffna Ahead of Parliamentary Vote

The Hindu  

Published : Nov 12, 2024 21:15 IST - 6 MINS READ Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is selling hope ahead of the November 14 Parliamentary elections. “I invite all of you, the people of Jaffna, to join me in this effort to change the political culture of our country.” Restoring land and trust Saying what the people wanted to …

Sri Lanka Parliamentary Elections 2024: Dissanayake Aims to Convert Presidential Win into Legislative Power
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka Parliamentary Elections 2024: Dissanayake Aims to Convert Presidential Win into Legislative Power

The Hindu  

Published : Nov 12, 2024 16:48 IST - 9 MINS READ Campaigning for the 10th parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka closed at midnight on November 11, with major political formations making fervent last-minute pitches to garner support from the 17 million voters. With many veterans, including former Presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and Mahinda Rajapaksa, shying away from contesting, Sri …

Sri Lanka Election: ‘Progress over corruption’, litmus test for Anura Dissanayake as voters head to polls on November 14
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka Election: ‘Progress over corruption’, litmus test for Anura Dissanayake as voters head to polls on November 14

Live Mint  

Sri Lanka's new leftist leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has gained unexpected support as he aims to expand his three parliamentary seats into a majority in Thursday's elections. Business leaders have speculated that Sri Lanka could adopt economic models similar to those of China or Vietnam under Dissanayake, whose party logo prominently features the hammer and sickle, symbolizing its communist ideology. …

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake: A New Era of Reform Amid Economic Turmoil in Sri Lanka
2 months, 2 weeks ago

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake: A New Era of Reform Amid Economic Turmoil in Sri Lanka

The Diplomat  

National People’s Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as the ninth executive president of Sri Lanka on September 23. The growing support for Dissanayake, a center-left politician often wrongly labeled as a “Marxist” by the international media, is a reflection of Sri Lanka’s broader societal unrest. The political dynasty of the Rajapaksas was at the center of Sri …

Real winners of Sri Lanka’s election: A people emboldened to force change
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Real winners of Sri Lanka’s election: A people emboldened to force change

Al Jazeera  

Anura Kumara Dissanayake rode a wave of anger to power. Back then, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the Marxist outfit that the country’s new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, now leads, was reviled in swaths of southern Sri Lanka for having twice attempted violent revolution. The “curse” essentially, was the population having allowed political elites, largely organised into Sri Lanka’s two main …

Terms of Trade | Can the socially retrograde turn economically progressive?
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Terms of Trade | Can the socially retrograde turn economically progressive?

Hindustan Times  

The election of a Marxist-Leninist politician as the president of economically floundering Sri Lanka was a big news point this week. Had Dissanayake and his party taken a principled position against majoritarian ethnic politics in Sri Lanka, would they have managed to protect their political capital, which has been encashed to capture power in these elections? The Jats too realised …

Sri Lanka has entered a new dawn with its new president. What does the diaspora think of Anura Dissanayake?
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Sri Lanka has entered a new dawn with its new president. What does the diaspora think of Anura Dissanayake?

ABC  

For decades, Sri Lankan politics has looked like a revolving door through which the same parties and families have come and gone. Unlike many of Sri Lanka's past presidents, Mr Dissanayake has no political lineage and is from the socialist National People's Power party which he founded in 2019. For some of Sri Lanka's younger generation the election result "was …

Sri Lanka's New President Dissolves Parliament To Make Way For November Elections
3 months ago

Sri Lanka's New President Dissolves Parliament To Make Way For November Elections

News 18  

Sri Lanka’s new leftist president dissolved parliament on Tuesday and called a snap election as he prepares to renegotiate the bankrupt nation’s unpopular International Monetary Fund bailout programme. Despite being a marginal party, the support for the 55-year-old Dissanayake’s JVP surged after a 2022 economic meltdown that immiserated millions of ordinary Sri Lankans and the painful implementation of the IMF …

‘Don’t want to be sandwiched, especially between China and India’: Sri Lankan new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake
3 months ago

‘Don’t want to be sandwiched, especially between China and India’: Sri Lankan new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Hindustan Times  

Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the country doesn't want to be sandwiched, especially between China and India, signaling a bold stance on his foreign policy. Sri Lankan new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake waves to supporters during a public rally in Dehiowita. As Sri Lanka navigates its place in an increasingly multipolar world, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his …

Sri Lanka Elections 2024: Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulates Sri Lanka’s new president Anura Kumara Dissanayake
3 months ago

Sri Lanka Elections 2024: Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulates Sri Lanka’s new president Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Live Mint  

Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated new Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, soon after he was sworn into office on Monday, September 23. Anura Dissanayake defeated his closest rival, Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, in Sri Lanka Elections 2024. Anura Kumara Dissanayake did not support the implementation of the 13th amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution, which devolves …

Marxist Dissanayake wins Sri Lanka's presidential election as voters reject old guard
3 months ago

Marxist Dissanayake wins Sri Lanka's presidential election as voters reject old guard

NPR  

Marxist Dissanayake wins Sri Lanka's presidential election as voters reject old guard toggle caption Eranga Jayawardena/AP COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s presidential election, according to data released by the Election Commission Sunday, as voters rejected the old political guard that has been widely accused of pushing the South Asian nation toward economic ruin. …

Marxist Dissanayake wins Sri Lanka’s presidential election as voters reject old guard
3 months ago

Marxist Dissanayake wins Sri Lanka’s presidential election as voters reject old guard

LA Times  

National People’s Power candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake arrives at a polling station to cast his vote Saturday in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s presidential election, according to data released Sunday by the Election Commission, as voters rejected the old political guard that has been widely accused of pushing the South Asian nation toward economic …

How economic pain came to trump ethnic and religious issues in Sri Lanka’s election
3 months ago

How economic pain came to trump ethnic and religious issues in Sri Lanka’s election

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery A couple walks past an …

Vote count underway in Sri Lanka’s presidential election after years of turmoil
3 months ago

Vote count underway in Sri Lanka’s presidential election after years of turmoil

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Voting ended in Sri Lanka’s presidential election Saturday as the country seeks to recover from the worst economic crisis in its history and the resulting political upheaval. They will show whether Sri Lankans approve of Wickremesinghe’s leadership of a fragile recovery, including restructuring Sri Lanka’s debt under an International Monetary Fund bailout program after it defaulted …

Sri Lanka will elect a new president two years after ousting former leader
3 months ago

Sri Lanka will elect a new president two years after ousting former leader

NPR  

Sri Lanka will elect a new president two years after ousting former leader Sri Lanka heads for an unprecedented three-way presidential vote today. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Two years ago, protesters overran and smashed up the home of Sri Lanka's president, forcing him to flee the tropical island country just south of India. DIAA HADID, BYLINE: Folks at a rally in …

Polling begins in Sri Lanka, island nation to elect next president
3 months ago

Polling begins in Sri Lanka, island nation to elect next president

New Indian Express  

COLOMBO: Polls opened on Saturday in Sri Lanka's crucial presidential election - the island nation's first major electoral exercise since its worst economic meltdown in 2022. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 75, is seeking re-election for a five-year term as an Independent candidate, riding on the success of his efforts to pull the country out of the economic crisis, which many …

Two years after Sri Lanka’s president was ousted by protests – could it all have been for nothing?
3 months ago

Two years after Sri Lanka’s president was ousted by protests – could it all have been for nothing?

The Independent  

In the summer of 2022, Pali Abeywickrama and his friends marched to the presidential palace during Sri Lanka’s popular anti-government uprising. open image in gallery Protesters hold Sri Lankan flags as they stand on top of the office of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe in July 2022 Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party is at 32 per cent …

Sri Lanka to choose President in crucial contest on September 21, 2024
3 months ago

Sri Lanka to choose President in crucial contest on September 21, 2024

The Hindu  

Over 17 million Sri Lankans will have a chance to elect their next President on Saturday in a crucial election, the first to be held after the island nation’s economy crashed in 2022. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., across 13,421 polling centers onthe island, the Election Commission of Sri Lanka said. Departing from past presidential …

Sri Lanka’s presidential election a test for current leader, 2 years after its economy hit bottom
3 months ago

Sri Lanka’s presidential election a test for current leader, 2 years after its economy hit bottom

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Two years ago, food cart worker Fathima Shiyama had to wait in line, sometimes for days, to get cooking gas, fuel and other essentials. Fathima Shiyama, 48, prepares local delicacies at home, to be sold later from her food cart, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. A man sits next to election posters of …

Sri Lanka Presidential Polls: Perception Favours Anura, Numbers Sajith & Ranil, Namal Under No Pressure To Win
3 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka Presidential Polls: Perception Favours Anura, Numbers Sajith & Ranil, Namal Under No Pressure To Win

News 18  

Sri Lanka is a tear-drop shaped island nation in the Indian Ocean. Since Sri Lanka’s independence from the Great Britain in 1948, the country has fought two major civil wars sacrificing a lakh lives, went through a killer Tsunami in 2004, which claimed another 25,000 lives, and very recently a massive public unrest named ‘Aragalaya’, which forced the President to …

Ramification | Sri Lanka: First presidential election after economic crisis and all weather Colombo-Delhi ties
3 months, 1 week ago

Ramification | Sri Lanka: First presidential election after economic crisis and all weather Colombo-Delhi ties

Firstpost  

Irrespective of the outcome of the election, India, as it has done in the past, will continue to support Sri Lanka in its economic recovery President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena gesture as they arrive at the Election Commission in Rajagiriya to submit his nomination papers for the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for September 21, in Colombo, Sri …

What’s at stake in Sri Lanka’s first presidential vote since its economic meltdown?
3 months, 2 weeks ago

What’s at stake in Sri Lanka’s first presidential vote since its economic meltdown?

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka will hold its presidential election on Sept. 21 in a crucial vote that will decide the future of the South Asian nation still struggling to recover from its economic collapse in 2022, which provoked mass protests and forced the former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and later resign. Almost 17 million of …

Sri Lanka president defends IMF bailout in campaign launch
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Sri Lanka president defends IMF bailout in campaign launch

Hindustan Times  

Sri Lanka had no option but to agree to an International Monetary Fund bailout that required tough austerity measures, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said Thursday as he launched his re-election campaign. Sri Lanka president defends IMF bailout in campaign launch An unprecedented economic crisis two years ago led to months-long food and fuel shortages, triggering street protests that forced Wickremesinghe's predecessor …

In Sri Lanka’s hill country, expectations low ahead of presidential polls
3 months, 3 weeks ago

In Sri Lanka’s hill country, expectations low ahead of presidential polls

The Hindu  

“There is little to look forward to in Sri Lanka,” says Kathir*, who will board a plane to Dubai later this month for an electrical maintenance job, leaving behind his parents, wife and two children. Enduring deprivation Families like his, living in the towns of Sri Lanka’s hill country, may still be relatively better off, compared to those working and …

​Back from the brink: The Hindu Editorial on the Sri Lankan elections and the road ahead
4 months ago

​Back from the brink: The Hindu Editorial on the Sri Lankan elections and the road ahead

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s ninth presidential election, scheduled for September 21, has attracted a record 39 candidates, signalling a return to “business as usual” despite the severe economic crisis of 2022. At 75, he aims to garner broad support by highlighting the political and economic stability achieved during his two-year tenure, made possible by backing from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, led …

Sri Lanka's Presidential polls: Ranil Wickremesinghe backed by grand alliance of more than 30 parties
4 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka's Presidential polls: Ranil Wickremesinghe backed by grand alliance of more than 30 parties

The Hindu  

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the front runner in the Presidential poll scheduled for next month, was on Friday endorsed by a grand coalition of more than 30 political parties and groups. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of the now decimated grand old party, the United National Party, is backed by the Rajapaksa family breakaways from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. …

Sri Lanka’s presidential race draws 39 aspirants
4 months, 1 week ago

Sri Lanka’s presidential race draws 39 aspirants

The Hindu  

As many as 39 presidential aspirants will contest a crucial poll in Sri Lanka on September 21, the Election Commission said on Thursday, after closing nominations. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who rose to the top office through a parliamentary vote during the island nation’s 2022 crisis, is seeking a mandate to take forward his government’s economic reform agenda. Mr. Wickremesinghe, …

39 candidates are approved for Sri Lanka’s presidential election, the highest number ever
4 months, 1 week ago

39 candidates are approved for Sri Lanka’s presidential election, the highest number ever

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s elections commission on Thursday accepted applications from a record 39 candidates to run in next month’s presidential election, which will decide the course of the country’s financial reforms to survive an unprecedented economic crisis. Unsustainable debt, a severe balance of payments crisis, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government’s insistence on …

Record 39 candidates to run in Sri Lanka’s presidential election
4 months, 1 week ago

Record 39 candidates to run in Sri Lanka’s presidential election

Al Jazeera  

Economy remains key issue after protesters angered by financial crisis toppled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022. A record number of candidates are contesting Sri Lanka’s presidential election next month as the country grapples with an unprecedented economic crisis. Wickremesinghe faces a daunting challenge from career politician Sajith Premadasa, 57, the current opposition leader of Samagi Jana Balawegaya, and leftist leader …

Heir apparent to Sri Lanka’s powerful Rajapaksa family will run in September’s presidential election
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Heir apparent to Sri Lanka’s powerful Rajapaksa family will run in September’s presidential election

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The man who is considered the heir apparent to the powerful Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka will contest the presidential election in September, his political party said Wednesday, in an apparent bid to regain his family’s lost power after a humiliating setback two years ago during an unprecedented economic crisis in the Indian ocean island nation. …

Rajapaksas’ party fields Mahinda’s son Namal in Sri Lanka’s presidential race
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Rajapaksas’ party fields Mahinda’s son Namal in Sri Lanka’s presidential race

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s ruling party helmed by the Rajapaksa clan, who were booted out of office by mass protests in 2022, on Wednesday named Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as its candidate for the September presidential polls. After Mr. Gotabaya was forced to resign at the height of Sri Lanka’s crushing unprecedented economic crisis in 2022, its MPs …

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