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| National Peoples' Power (NPP) candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressing an election rally in Colombo: File pix |
By S. Rubatheesan
A left-leaning candidate has emerged as the front-runner in the race to become the ninth president of Sri Lanka, which saw former head of state, Mahindra Rajapakse, flee the nation after a popular uprising two years ago.
Over 17 million Sri Lankans will cast their votes on Sept. 21 in the highly contested polls, with a record number of 39 candidates in the fray.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the National Peoples’ Power (NPP), an alliance of left-leaning groups led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), or Peoples’ Liberation Front, has emerged as the leading contender.
The current interim president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over after former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted in 2022, is contesting as an independent candidate.
Other candidates include familiar faces from the country’s most prominent political families: Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa; Sajith Premadasa, the son of another former president R Premadasa.
Wimalasri Thennakon, a tea shop vendor in Mount Lavinia on the outskirts of the capital Colombo, said Dissanayake would win to form the next government.
Thennakon observed that the import-orientated island nation has yet to recover from the foreign exchange crisis that started during the Rajapaksa rule.
Difficulties are still faced by the poor and the marginalized groups to meet their daily needs, he added.
“We need a change and put a stop to corruption. I hope Dissanayake will do that,” Thennakon told UCA News on Sept. 19, a day after the poll campaign ended.
In 2022, Sri Lankans took to the streets to protest against the mismanagement of the economy. The country witnessed its worst-ever economic crisis since its independence from Britain, forcing millions to line up to source food and fuel.
The popular uprising in Colombo led to the resignation of Rajapaksa, who fled the Indian Ocean nation in July 2022.
The interim government of President Wickremesinghe negotiated a US$ 2.9-million bailout package with the International Monetary Forum (IMF).
Though no political party claimed the leadership of the uprising in 2022, the JVP played an active role and Dissanayake used the power vacuum created by the resignation of Rajapaksa to his advantage.
The party grew into a credible political force and Dissanayake’s personal appeal soared with his party’s good fortunes.
The 55-year-old Dissanayake’s JVP has never been close to national power and twice led Marxist insurrections against the state.
Dissanayake’s pledge to end corruption and his pro-poor policies have made him a popular hero in the nation of 22 million people.
“People are eager to vote. I believe the voter turnout will be higher this time,” said Rohana Hettiarachchi, the executive director of People's Action for Free and Fair Elections.
Ahead of the polls, security has been stepped up with more than 65,000 police personnel deployed across the country to ensure peaceful elections.
Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Rathnayake told reporters on Sept. 19 that the campaigning period saw no major violent incidents.
Election watchdogs and independent election monitoring bodies noted less violence during the polls compared with previous presidential elections.
However, they decried the misuse of public resources by the current government.
Except for the government’s misuse of public resources, the campaign period was relatively peaceful, added Hettiarachchi. (Source-UCA News)
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