On Sept. 21, Sri Lanka conducted its ninth presidential election. This was one of the most important elections in the country’s history. In 2022, severe inflation and economic crisis had led to a series of protests resulting in then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fleeing the country. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe had assumed power on 20 July, 2022, elected by the Parliament after initially resigning from office as Rajapaksa’s Prime Minister.

This year, he ran for office again as an independent candidate. Alongside him were other prominent leaders including Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power (NPP), and Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

According to the Sri Lankan Elections Commission, in order for a candidate to be declared President, they must win 50% of the total votes in the first round of counting. However, in a historic first time, no candidate claimed such a majority. Dissanayake received 42.31% of the first preference votes, while 32.76% were for Premadasa. Wickremesinghe, who received 17.27% of the votes, was thus eliminated from contention.

This situation was extremely tense as no poll in Sri Lanka has ever boiled down to the second round of counting. Ultimately, after Wickremesinghe’s votes were divided and second preferences taken into account, Dissanayake received 5,740,179 votes, while Premadasa trailed with 4,530,902. Consequently, Anura Kumara Dissanayake was declared President.

Addressing Sri Lankans on social media platform X, Dissanayake wrote, “This victory belongs to us all.” Dissanayake contested the elections based on his manifesto of good governance, anti-corruption measures, and leading Sri Lankan economy, which suffered a terrible crisis just 2 years ago. For this, “Dissanayake has promised to develop the manufacturing, agriculture and IT sectors. He has also committed to continuing the deal struck with the International Monetary Fund to bail Sri Lanka out of the economic crisis while reducing the impact of its austerity measures on the country’s poorest.”

As Dissanayake assumes power, the South Asian region undergoes a shift in power structures with former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina being ousted from power after student protests across the country. As new governments establish amid rising socio-political and economic challenges, whether they remain in action or inaction remains to be seen.