COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s leftist president-elect will be sworn into office Monday (Sep 23) after simmering public anger over the island nation’s unprecedented economic crisis propelled him to a landslide poll win.
Self-avowed Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, of the People’s Liberation Front (JVP), won nearly 1.3 million more votes than his nearest rival.
The previously fringe politician, whose party led two failed uprisings that left tens of thousands dead, saw a surge of support after the country’s 2022 economic meltdown forced painful hardships upon ordinary Sri Lankans.
Dissanayaka, 55, said on Sunday that his victory had been “paved by the sacrifices of so many who gave their sweat, tears and even their lives for this cause”.
“The dream we have nurtured for centuries is finally coming true,” he said in a statement shortly after the announcement.
“This victory belongs to all of us,” he added. “Millions of eyes filled with hope and expectation push us forward, and together, we stand ready to rewrite Sri Lankan history”.
Dissanayaka was due to be sworn in at 9am (3.30am GMT) at the colonial-era President Secretariat in Colombo, election commission officials said.
