Marxist-leaning Dissanayake leads early official vote count in Sri Lanka's presidential election
Posted 9/21/24
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Marxist-leaning lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake leads early official results in Sri Lanka's presidential election, according to tallies released on Sunday by the …
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Marxist-leaning Dissanayake leads early official vote count in Sri Lanka's presidential election
Leader and the presidential candidate of National People's Power Anura Kumara Dissanayake arrives at a polling station to cast his vote in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Posted
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Marxist-leaning lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake leads early official results in Sri Lanka's presidential election, according to tallies released on Sunday by the Election Commission, but he is still short of the 50% needed for victory.
Dissanayake was leading with 47% of total votes counted, followed by Premadasa with nearly 28% and Wickremesinghe with 15%.
The election was a virtual referendum on Wickremesinghe’s leadership of a fragile recovery, including restructuring Sri Lanka’s debt under an International Monetary Fund bailout program after it defaulted in 2022.
No major incidents were reported during the vote but authorities declared a countrywide curfew until midday Sunday as a precaution, police said.
At the time of its default, Sri Lanka’s local and foreign debt totaled $83 billion. The government says it has now restructured more than $17 billion.
Despite a significant improvement in key economic figures, Sri Lankans are struggling with high taxes and living costs.
Both Premadasa and Dissanayake say they will renegotiate the IMF deal to make austerity measures more bearable. Wickremesinghe has warned that any move to alter the basics of the agreement could delay the release of a fourth tranche of nearly $3 billion that is crucial to maintaining stability.