Sri Lankan leader’s coalition headed for victory
Partial official results indicate that the alliance of Sri Lanka’s new leader is on track for victory in the country’s snap parliamentary elections.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s National People’s Power (NPP) coalition has won 97 seats so far, securing over 60% of the vote. To achieve a majority, it needs 113 seats in the 225-member parliament.
Elected in September, Dissanayake requires a clear majority to fulfill his promise of combating corruption and restoring stability following the country’s worst-ever economic crisis.
The high cost of living was a key issue for many voters.
While analysts expect the NPP to perform well, the focus will be on the margin of victory and whether it can secure the two-thirds majority needed for its ambitious reforms.
In the outgoing assembly, Dissanayake’s Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party, now leading the NPP, had only three seats. More results are anticipated later on Friday.
“This is a pivotal election that could mark a turning point for Sri Lanka,” Dissanayake, 55, told reporters in Colombo on Thursday after casting his vote.
Nearly two-thirds of former MPs chose not to run for re-election, including prominent members of the former ruling Rajapaksa dynasty.
Sajith Premadasa, the man Dissanayake defeated in the presidential elections, led the opposition alliance.
Dissanayake called for snap elections shortly after he became president to seek a fresh mandate to pursue his policies. There was “no point continuing with a parliament that is not in line with what the people want”, he had said.
Out of 225 seats in the parliament, 196 MPs will be directly elected. The rest will be nominated by parties based on the percentage of votes they get in what is known as proportional representation.
High inflation, food and fuel shortages precipitated a political crisis in 2022 which led to the ousting of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. His successor Ranil Wickremesinghe managed to negotiate a bailout package worth $3bn with the International Monetary Fund – but many Sri Lankans continue to feel economic hardship.
“We are still stuck with the problems we faced before. We still don’t have financial help even to fulfil our daily needs,” 26-year-old garment factory worker Manjula Devi, who works in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone near Colombo, told the BBC.
The number of people living below the poverty line in Sri Lanka has risen to 25.9% in the past four years. The World Bank expects the economy to grow by only 2.2% in 2024.
Disenchantment with established political players greatly helped the left-leaning Dissanayake during September’s election. His party has traditionally backed strong state intervention and lower taxes, and campaigned for leftist economic policies.
Dissanayake made history as Sri Lanka’s first president to be elected with less than 50% of the vote. Many observers think his alliance will do better this time.
How his alliance fares will be partly due to a fragmented opposition – with many leaders and parties breaking away into either smaller groups, or contesting as independent candidates.
Observers say the JVP-led alliance ran a more vibrant campaign than the opposition, which is likely to have a significant impact on the outcome of the election.
What is clear is that whoever comes into power will be under massive pressure to perform and live up to their campaign promises.
Sri Lanka’s economic situation remains precarious – and the main focus is still on providing essential goods and services. How the country progresses from this point will be a real challenge for the new government.
