Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a left-wing politician, has taken the lead in Sri Lanka’s presidential election.
Election on Saturday The event is the first to be held since mass protests toppled the country’s leader, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in 2022 after the country suffered its worst economic crisis.
Dissanayake promised voters tough anti-corruption measures and good governance – messages that have resonated with voters calling for systemic change since the crisis.
Early results on Sunday morning showed Dissanayake leading with nearly 50% of votes counted. A candidate needs 51% of the total vote to be declared the winner.
Mr Premadasa came in second with nearly 26% of the total vote. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is seeking a second term, has so far received 16% while Namal Rajapaksa, the nephew of the ousted president, has received nearly 3%.
Seventeen million Sri Lankans are eligible to vote on Saturday.
Voting was peaceful, despite a curfew imposed by authorities on Sunday morning that lasted until noon local time (00:630 GMT).
Dissanayake received congratulatory messages from supporters of his two main rivals, incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
Foreign Minister Ali Sabry told X that the initial results clearly showed a victory for Dissanayake.
“Although I campaigned strongly for President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the people of Sri Lanka have made their decision and I fully respect their mandate to Anura Kumara Dissanayake,” he said.
MP Harsha de Silva, a Premadasa supporter, said he had called Dissanayake to congratulate him.
“We campaigned hard for @sajithpremadasa but it didn’t happen. Now it’s clear that @anuradisanayake will be the new President of #SriLanka,” said de Silva, who represents Colombo in parliament.
Another Premadasa supporter, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesman MA Sumanthiran, said Dissanayake had delivered an “impressive victory” without relying on “racial or religious chauvinism”.
