COLOMBO: Anura Kumara Dissanayake, 55, leader of the Marxist-leaning Janata Vimukthi Peramuna Party (JVP), has been elected as the new President of Sri Lanka. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to take place on Tuesday. Dissanayake was the candidate of the National People's Power Alliance, which included the JVP. Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa came second.

For the first time in history, the winner was announced through the second round of counting of votes. No one won more than 50 per cent of the votes required to win the first round. With this, Anura and Premadasa, who finished first and second, advanced to the second round. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe (17.27%) who came in third place and Namal Rajapaksa (2.57%), son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, were eliminated. The second round of counting of votes was done based on priority votes. The winner was decided by counting the second preference votes of both the parties and clubbing them with the first result.

In 2022, riots broke out in Sri Lanka, which was reeling under an economic crisis. This is the first election held since then. Renil took office in July 2022 after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned in public anger.

Result

Anura Kumara Dissanayake (National People's Power) – 42.31%

Sajith Premadasa (Samagi Jana Balawegaya) - 32.76%

38 candidates

In Sri Lanka, home to the world's first female prime minister (Sirimao Bhandaranayake – 1960), there were no women among the 38 candidates this time.

Anura Kumara Disanayake

• Born on November 24, 1968, in an ordinary family in Thambuttegama.
• Anura Disanayake's father was a labourer and his mother was a homemaker. The first in the family to have university education
• Anura Kumara Disanayake is known as AKD. In 2004, he became a minister during Chandrika Kumaratunga's tenure.
• Was part of the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) during the school days itself
• He became the leader of the party in 2014.
• The party has 3 seats in Parliament.
• His left policies and fiery speeches have influenced the youth.
• Promise to dissolve parliament and hold elections
• There are concers that Anura Kumara Disanayake, who is Marxist-leaning, will be biased towards China