Dissanayaka set to become Sri Lanka’s next president

After a presidential election tainted by dissatisfaction about the island nation’s reaction to an unparalleled financial crisis, a Marxist politician who had previously been on the periphery of politics appeared poised to become the new leader of Sri Lanka on Sunday.

The ongoing count in Saturday’s poll showed Anura Kumara Dissanayaka on 52 percent with just over a million votes counted, well above his nearest rivals.

Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa was in second, with 23.3 percent of the vote.

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 16 per cent of the vote.

Wickremesinghe has yet to concede, and an official result was not expected until later Sunday. Still, foreign minister Ali Sabry said the early count made it clear that Dissanayaka had won.

“Though I heavily campaigned for President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the people of Sri Lanka have made their decision, and I fully respect their mandate for Anura Kumara Dissanayaka,” Sabry said on social media.