Trisha Ghosh, Pune
Anura Kumara Dissanayake was declared Sri Lanka’s new president on Sunday by the Election Commission, when poll results were revealed following a second vote count in the presidential elections, the first to be held after the country’s economic crisis of 2022, the worst crisis since its Independence. Famously known as ‘AKD’, Dissanayake has promised to eliminate corruption and turn Sri Lanka’s political situation around.
The second round of vote counts is a historic moment in Sri Lanka’s history, which has never occurred before. It was done to add preference votes, as neither Dissanayake nor the Opposition contestant, Sajith Premadasa, was able to obtain the required 50 percent plus one vote for victory. Dissanayake obtained 42.31% of vote share while Premadasa came second with 32.76%. The office is currently still held by Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was third, having secured less than 20% of votes. Additionally, there were 35 other candidates in the presidential race.
Mr. Dissanayake is a member of the National People’s Power alliance (NPP). NPP is led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), also called ‘People’s Liberation Front’, which has Marxist-Leninist ideals. The poll result is a major victory for Dissanayake, as his vote share has increased significantly compared to the 3.16% share he had in 2019. Moreover, this is the first time Sri Lanka will have a president belonging to a party that is not affiliated with the United National Party (UNP) or Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). It is also not linked to any of the subsidiary parties of these two major ones, all of which have exercised great control over Sri Lankan politics for more than 70 years.
Multiple academic scholars have positive views on the election outcome. Mahendran Thiruvarangan from the University of Jaffna praised the NPP’s victory and stated to The Hindu that the party is representative of many of the primary demands of the ‘Aragayala’, which is the ‘people’s struggle of 2022’.
However, a few have simultaneously expressed concerns regarding future prospects for the new president. University of Colombo political scientist Pradeep Peiris has said that Dissanayake’s party has only come into the limelight after the 2022 crisis and people’s outrage. The recent victory is not as much a result of major preference for the NPP as it is a result of a furious call for radical changes and reforms — a vote of anti-establishment. He further pointed out how changing a system is never easy and that various challenges await Dissanayake, particularly in regard to the parliamentary elections. Unlike presidential elections, parliamentary elections scrutinise the candidate more closely and take into account ethnicity, class, religion and networks. Dissanayake would also have to work to provide urgent economic relief to the rural population in dire need.
On Sunday, PM Modi congratulated Dissanayake for his victory in a post on X (link: https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1837920363684274264), saying that he looks forward to the countries’ future cooperation and the strengthening of their relations with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy and Vision SAGAR.