Left-wing coalition scores resounding victory in Sri Lanka
Dissanayake, a Marxist, had won the September presidential election with a promise to fight corruption and recover stolen assets.
KATHMANDU: Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the left-wing coalition, has achieved a remarkable victory in the mid-term parliamentary elections.
Dissanayake, a Marxist, had won the September presidential election with a promise to fight corruption and recover stolen assets.
His decision to call for immediate elections and secure parliamentary support for his agenda has received widespread backing.
His National People’s Power (NPP) coalition has secured at least 123 seats in the 225-member parliament, with leads in several other constituencies still being counted.
As of the latest tally, the coalition has garnered 62% of the votes, while the opposition leader Sajith Premadasa’s party trails with just 18%.
“People voted to rid the country of corruption and the corrupt system,” said IT entrepreneur Chanaka Rajapaksa, a supporter of the NPP, to AFP on Friday.
The NPP secured the highest number of votes in the northern Jaffna district, where the Tamil minority predominates.
55-year-old President Dissanayake, born into a working-class family, expressed optimism after casting his vote on Thursday, expecting his coalition to advance with a “strong majority” in parliament.
“We believe this is a crucial election that will signal a change in Sri Lanka. We are confident that the NPP will receive a mandate for a strong majority in parliament,” he said.
According to the police, the election saw no violent incidents despite a nine-hour voting period, though one police constable and three election workers died from illness while on duty.
Media reports suggest that voter turnout was nearly 70% lower than the September presidential election.
Dissanayake, who has been a member of parliament for about 25 years and briefly served as agriculture minister, led the NPP coalition, which had only won three seats in the previous parliament.
After successfully distancing himself from the establishment politicians blamed for Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic crisis, he was elected president in September.
