NewsMarks one year of President Dissanayake’s election victory
Tomorrow (22) will mark one year since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected as Sri Lanka’s 9th Executive President on September 22, 2024.The Presidential Election which election observers and the Election Commission of Sri Lanka referred to as the “most peaceful election in the country’s history”, recorded a voter turnout of over 79 percent of the registered voters. Due to the highly contentious nature of the election, which was held in the backdrop of an economic crisis, for the first time in Sri Lanka’s history no candidate managed to secure a majority (50 percent) of the vote.As a result, the Election Commission decided to count the second preferential vote. On September 22, 2024, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emerged victorious securing 56 percent of the second preferential vote. President Dissanayake was sworn in on September 23, 2024. This was also the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that a candidate who was not from the two main political streams was elected President.
His victory was particularly significant, as he ran on a platform of economic reforms, national reconciliation, and strengthening democracy. His election campaign resonated with many Sri Lankans who were seeking change after years of political instability, economic downturns, corruption and political cronyism. He was seen as a beacon of hope for those disillusioned with the traditional political elite. The National People’s Power (NPP), the party he leads, recorded a stunning victory at the subsequent general Elections, getting a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
