Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been elected the ninth President of Sri Lanka, a historic verdict that saw discontent voters respond to the unprecedented financial crisis that gripped the nation in 2022.
Anura, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party's broader front National People's Power (NPP), will take oath on Monday.
The 56-year-old leader, popularly known as AKD, won more than 5.63 million votes, taking his 50-year-old party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) from the fringes to the helm. Anura defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and sitting President Ranil Wickremesinghe in an election that progressed to the second round of counting.
The polls, the first to be held since the rebellion that unseated Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022, witnessed two rounds of counting after no candidate secured over 50 per cent votes needed to be declared the winner. In the first round of counting, Anura topped the chart by securing 5.63 million votes or 42.31 per cent, followed by Sajith Premadasa with 4.36 million votes or 32.8 per cent. Wickremesinghe managed to get only 2.29 million votes or 17.27 per cent of the total votes polled.
This is the first time that the voting progressed to the second round of counting, as single candidates have always emerged as clear winners based on first-preference votes.
A dream
The new President took to X to thank Sri Lankans, calling the win a collective effort of the people.
"The dream we have nurtured for centuries is finally coming true. This achievement is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you. Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory belongs to all of us."
He also remembered the sacrifices made by people for the cause, stating they will not be forgotten. "We hold the scepter of their hopes and struggles, knowing the responsibility it carries. The millions of eyes filled with hope and expectation push us forward, and together, we stand ready to rewrite Sri Lankan history. This dream can only be realised with a fresh start. The unity of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and all Sri Lankans is the bedrock of this new beginning. The New Renaissance we seek will rise from this shared strength and vision," he added.
