The 55-year-old's win comes after he pledged to fight corruption and fix the country's fledgling economy.
Sri Lanka has elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as its new president, putting faith in his pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following its worst financial crisis in decades.
Mr Dissanayake, who does not possess political lineage like some of his rivals in the presidential election, led from start to finish during the counting of ballots, knocking out incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa to become Sri Lanka's 10th president. The election was also a referendum on Mr Wickremesinghe, who led the heavily indebted nation's fragile economic recovery from a meltdown in 2022 but the austerity measures that were key to this recovery hindered his bid to return to office.Mr Dissanayake polled 5.6 million or 42.3 per cent of the votes, a massive boost to the 3 per cent he managed in the last presidential election in 2019.
Lanka Election 2024 Winner Anura Dissanayake New President
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Marxist politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake leads Sri Lanka's presidential voteSri Lanka's Marxist-leaning leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, grabs a commanding early lead on Sunday in his bid to become the next president of the debt-ridden country seeking to elect a leader to bolster its fragile economic recovery.
Read more »
Sri Lankan presidential election to be decided in runoff vote countAnura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa go forward after no candidates gained 50% in first round
Read more »
Angelo Mathews regains some pride after Sri Lanka caught cold by EnglandAngelo Mathews couldn’t reproduce his come-from-behind century from 10 years ago, but at least showed some steel after tourists’ poor start
Read more »
Sri Lanka dig in after Jamie Smith lays platform for England’s victory pushAngelo Mathews led the tourists’ resistance at Old Trafford after Jamie Smith’s fine 111 had given England a substantial first-innings lead
Read more »
Polly never suffered from asthma – then a clap of thunder left her gasping for airMelburnians dreading pollen season may be able to breathe a sigh of relief, with dry conditions and low rainfall likely to lead to a shorter, less-intense event.
Read more »
England v Sri Lanka: first men’s cricket Test match, day fourOver-by-over report: Can England seal an opening Test win against Sri Lanka? Join our writers
Read more »