A previously fringe Marxist politician was on course on Sunday to become Sri Lanka’s next leader after a presidential vote coloured by discontent over the island nation’s response to an unprecedented financial crisis.
The first count in Saturday’s poll showed Anura Kumara Dissanayaka with just over 42 per cent with about three-quarters of all votes tallied.
He had a seemingly unassailable lead of nearly 1.3 million votes over second-placed opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who was trailing on 33 percent.
Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe – who took office at the peak of the 2022 economic collapse and imposed tough austerity policies per the terms of an IMF bailout – was trailing at a distant third with around 17 per cent of the vote.
Sri Lanka has a preferential voting system, and a count of second choices marked on ballots will be conducted before a winner is formally declared.