(24 News) The people of Sri Lanka have elected Marxist leader ‘Anura Kumara Dissanayake’ promising to fight corruption and strengthen the country’s fragile economic recovery.
The 55-year-old Dissanayake, who does not have the political heritage of some of his rivals, led from start to finish during the counting of votes, defeating incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajit Premadasa, who won after the votes were counted. Confirmed, Dissanayake said on the occasion, “We believe we can rebuild this country, we can form a stable government and move forward. For me, this is not a position but a responsibility.” is.”
The election was a referendum on Wickremesinghe leading the fragile economic recovery of the debt-ridden country, but the austere fiscal measures that had been instrumental in the recovery caused voter disquiet, with Wickremesinghe winning 17% of the vote. With 3rd place, Wickremesinghe conceded his defeat saying “Mr. President! I hand over Sri Lanka with great love to you, this dear child whom we both love so much”.
Premadasa came second with 32.8% of the votes, Dissanayake, who won the election with only 3% of the votes in the 2019 presidential election, got 42.3% of the votes, a huge success.
It was the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that a presidential election was decided by a second vote count because the top two candidates did not receive the 50% required to win, an electoral system in which voters cast 3 preferences for their favorite candidates. votes, if a candidate does not get 50% of the votes in the first count, the winner is determined by the second count of the top 2 candidates.
About 75% of the 17 million eligible voters cast their ballots, according to the Sri Lankan Election Commission, the country’s first election in 2022 as its economy is hit hard by a severe foreign exchange shortage that has led to shortages of essential goods. Unable to import fuel, medicine and gas for domestic use, the protests forced then-president Gotabia Raj to leave the country and later resign.
President-elect Dissanayake has promised tax cuts that could affect the IMF’s fiscal targets and raise concerns among investors at the time of a $25 billion loan renewal, but during the campaign he He took a conciliatory approach, saying that all changes would be made in consultation with the IMF and that he was committed to repaying the debt.
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The Sri Lankan economy has made a cautious recovery with the help of an IMF deal, it is expected to grow this year for the first time in 3 years and inflation is down from 70% at the height of the crisis to 0.5%. has arrived, but rising costs of daily necessities remain a key issue for many voters as millions remain trapped in poverty and many pin hopes for a better future on the new leader.
It should be noted that the newly elected Sri Lankan President must now ensure that Sri Lanka adheres to the IMF program until 2027 to put its economy on a path of sustainable growth, bring stability to the market, debt can be repaid, attract investors and lift a quarter of its people out of poverty.
2024-09-23 00:59:22