Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the Marxist JVP's broader front National People's Power (NPP), on Sunday consolidated his lead in the Sri Lanka's presidential election.On Saturday, Sri Lankans voted to elect a new president for the first election since the economic meltdown in 2022. The voter turnout in the presidential election was around 75 per cent.
Lower than the 83 per cent polled in the previous presidential election held in November 2019. In the cumulative vote count declared by 7 am on Sunday, 56-year-old Dissanayake amassed 727,000 votes or 52 per cent against his nearest rival 57-year-old Sajith Premadasa, the main opposition leader who received 333,000 votes at 23 per cent. The incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe, 75, was trailing way behind with 235,000 votes at 16 per cent.
Dissanayake won 21 of the 22 postal district votes while bagging several results declared thus far from the 168 geographical parliamentary seats from different districts. Wickremesinghe is yet to concede defeat but his Foreign Minister Ali Sabry on X congratulated Dissanayake for his win. "After a long and arduous campaign, the results of the election are now clear.
Though I heavily campaigned for President Ranil Wickremasinghe, the people of Sri Lanka have made their decision, and I fully respect their mandate for Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In a democracy, it is crucial to honour the will of the people, and I do so without hesitation," Sabry wrote on X. "I extend my sincere congratulations .