Sri Lanka's leftist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office as president on Monday, promising change in the island nation long led by powerful political families which is emerging from its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades.
Sri Lanka's Marxist-leaning leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, won the presidential election for the debt-ridden island nation, local TV said on Sunday, citing Election Commission figures.
Sri Lanka polls: The latest results showed Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party's broader front National People’s Power (NPP) had won 39.52 per cent of the votes counted.
There are a total of 38 candidates in the running for the President's post, but President Wickremesinghe faces an uphill battle from Sajith Premadasa, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Namal Rajapaksa and Nuwan Bopage. The cash-strapped country is gearing up for a presidential election on Saturday.
Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, running as an independent, is seeking re-election in a tight contest against Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Sri Lankans hope their new leader will bring an improvement in their fragile economy as millions reel under poverty and debt.
Polls opened at 7 am local time and concluded at 5 pm with overall voter turnout at "almost 80 per cent", the National Elections Commission said. In the northern districts, the turnout was as large as the previous election held in 2015 when Tamils opted to vote for the incumbent Maithripala Sirisena
United Nations: Welcoming the peaceful political transition in Sri Lanka following the presidential election, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Friday praised an adversary of the world body, Mahinda Rajapaksa, for upholding democracy.Former Sri Lankan President,
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