Sri Lanka is on the cusp of its first presidential election since the devastating economic meltdown of 2022, an event that sparked massive protests and forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country. The election is a pivotal moment for the island nation, as it seeks to solidify its recovery from the economic crisis.
At the helm of this recovery effort is incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 75, who is running for re-election as an independent candidate. Wickremesinghe’s economic recovery plan, which has been lauded by experts as one of the fastest globally, is closely linked to stringent reforms tied to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bail-out. Despite the unpopularity of these reforms, they have played a crucial role in steering Sri Lanka out of successive quarters of negative growth.
Addressing a re-election rally, Wickremesinghe declared, “I will make sure that I end the country’s bankruptcy by going ahead with the reforms we introduced.”
The upcoming Sri Lankan presidential elections are shaping up to be a highly contested three-way battle, a first in the country’s history. Wickremesinghe faces stiff competition from National People’s Power (NPP) candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate Sajith Premadasa.
“This election is different from all other previous presidential polls as all the three main contenders had faced setbacks in the 2020 parliamentary election,” noted analyst Kusal Perera. Some opinion polls suggest that NPP’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the frontrunner in the race for the presidency.
The voting for the Sri Lanka presidential elections 2024 is scheduled for Saturday, September 21st, from 7 am to 5 pm at over 13,400 polling stations across the country. The results of the election are expected to be announced on Sunday, September 22nd.
With an estimated 80% voter turnout anticipated, approximately 17 million out of the island nation’s 21 million registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots.
To ensure transparency and fairness, 116 representatives from various international election observation organizations have arrived in Sri Lanka to monitor the upcoming presidential election. This election is a critical step in Sri Lanka’s journey toward economic recovery and political stability. The outcome will have profound implications for the country’s future.
