Anura Kumara Dissanayake (Picture credit: AP)
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the National People’s Power (NPP), is set to become Sri Lanka’s ninth executive president, according to early postal voting results.
The polling for the presidential election was held on Saturday from 7 am to 4 pm local time across over 13,400 polling stations in 22 electoral districts.
According to results from the postal voting in seven electoral districts, Dissanayake has secured 56% of the votes, while his opponents, Sajith Premadasa and current President Ranil Wickremesinghe, have each garnered 19%.
Analysts believe this voting trend suggests Dissanayake is likely to win over 50% of the total votes. If victorious, he will be Sri Lanka’s first Marxist head of state, which would eliminate the need for a second preference vote count to determine the winner among the three main candidates.
The presidential election in Sri Lanka saw a close contest between three prominent political leaders: Dissanayake, Wickremesinghe, and Premadasa.
The polling for the presidential election was held on Saturday from 7 am to 4 pm local time across over 13,400 polling stations in 22 electoral districts.
According to results from the postal voting in seven electoral districts, Dissanayake has secured 56% of the votes, while his opponents, Sajith Premadasa and current President Ranil Wickremesinghe, have each garnered 19%.
Analysts believe this voting trend suggests Dissanayake is likely to win over 50% of the total votes. If victorious, he will be Sri Lanka’s first Marxist head of state, which would eliminate the need for a second preference vote count to determine the winner among the three main candidates.
The presidential election in Sri Lanka saw a close contest between three prominent political leaders: Dissanayake, Wickremesinghe, and Premadasa.
