Sri Lanka is gearing up for its presidential election on Saturday, the first since the 2022 economic crisis that led to the default on loans and political chaos. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe is seeking re-election against challengers Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa. The voting will take place at 13,134 polling stations starting at 7am (01:30 GMT) and ending at 4pm (10:30 GMT), with vote counting to commence at 9:30pm (16:00 GMT).
The Election Commission of Sri Lanka oversees the election, with 17 million eligible voters out of the country’s 22-million population. Voters rank up to three candidates in order of preference on the ballot paper. A candidate needs to secure 50 percent of votes as a first preference to win the presidential seat in the first round. If no candidate achieves this, a second round of counting takes place between the top two candidates from the first round.
The key candidates include Ranil Wickremesinghe, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sajith Premadasa, and Namal Rajapaksa. Dissanayake is currently leading in the polls, focusing on eliminating corruption and resonating with large sections of society. The economy is a major issue in the election, with inflation shooting up to 70 percent and the currency depreciating by 45 percent in 2022.
Critics of Wickremesinghe say that while some economic indicators have improved, it has come at a cost of increased taxes and electricity prices due to IMF loans. Both Premadasa and Dissanayake have pledged to continue with the IMF bailout but reduce taxes and privatization. Ethnic minority votes could play a significant role in the election, as the leading candidates are all Sinhalese but the voter base is diverse.