On September 21, Sri Lanka will vote for its new President. What sets this election apart from previous ones is that it’s the first since the country went through its worst economic crisis two years ago.
The Janatha Argalaya, or the people’s struggle, held the Rajapaksa family responsible, and the mass movement booted out the then President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
After Gotabaya fled the country and quit office, Ranil Wickremesinghe, a familiar face in Sri Lankan politics for decades, took his place through a parliamentary vote that he won with the support of the Rajapaksas’ party, which still holds a majority in the legislature.
Now, with the Rajapaksas out of focus in this election, the contest is primarily a three-cornered race, between Wickrememsinghe, Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Explained | A crucial election in Sri Lanka
Reporting and visuals: Meera Srinivasan
Voiceover and production: Kanishkaa Balachandran
Published - September 20, 2024 09:16 pm IST
