Getty Images
Anura Kumara Dissanayake positioned himself as a candidate for change.
Left-wing politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been elected as Sri Lanka’s next president, winning debt-ridden Sri Lanka’s first election since the country’s economic collapse in 2022.
The 55-year-old was the landslide winner, beating his nearest rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, in a historic second count that included votes for second-choice candidates. Outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe came third.
It’s a stunning reversal for someone who received just 3% of the vote in elections in 2019. Dissanayake, who ran as the candidate of the National People Power (NPP) coalition, has won support in recent years for his anti-corruption and pro-poor policies, especially as the country’s worst economic crisis in history still affects millions.
He now inherits a nation struggling to emerge from the shadow of that crisis and a people desperate for change.
So who is President-elect Anura Kumara Dissanayake?
Former Marxist
Dissanayake was born on November 24, 1968 in Gallewela, a multicultural and multi-religious town in central Sri Lanka.
A man of middle-class upbringing and educated in public schools with a degree in physics, he first entered politics as a student around the time of the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord in 1987, which led to one of the bloodiest periods in Sri Lankan history.
Between 1987 and 1989, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a Marxist party with which Dissanayake would later become deeply associated, led an armed insurrection against the Sri Lankan government.
Fueled by discontent among rural lower- and middle-class youth, the rebellion sparked a conflict marked by raids, assassinations and attacks on both political opponents and civilians, claiming thousands of lives.
Dissanayake was elected to the JVP’s central committee in 1997 and became party leader in 2008, but later apologised for the group’s violent acts during the so-called “season of terror”.
“Many things happened during the armed conflict that should not have happened,” he told the BBC in a 2014 interview.
“We’re still in shock. We’re shocked that something happened at our hands that should never have happened. We’re always deeply saddened and shocked by it.”
The JVP, which currently has just three seats in Parliament, is part of the NPP coalition government currently led by Dissanayake.
Getty Images
Supporters listen to Anura Kumara Dissanayake speak at an election rally on September 16, 2024.
A “different” leader
While campaigning for the presidential election, Dissanayake referred to another violent incident in Sri Lanka’s recent history, the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
On April 21, 2019, a series of deadly explosions occurred at churches and international hotels in the capital, Colombo, killing at least 290 people and injuring hundreds, quickly becoming the deadliest attack in Sri Lankan history.
But five years later, the investigation has still not been able to provide answers as to how the coordinated attack happened or what the security flaws were that led to it.
Some have accused the previous government led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa of obstructing the investigation.
In a recent interview with BBC Sinhala, Dissanayake promised to investigate the matter if elected, suggesting that authorities have avoided an investigation for fear of exposing “their own culpability”.
This is just one of many unfulfilled promises by Sri Lanka’s political elite, he added.
“This is not just about investigations,” he said. “Politicians who promised to stop corruption have committed corruption. Those who promised to create a debt-free Sri Lanka have only exacerbated the debt burden. Those who promised to strengthen the law have broken it.”
“That is exactly why the people of this country are looking for different leadership, and we are the ones who can provide that.”
Candidate for Change
Dissanayake was seen as a strong contender ahead of Saturday’s election and had positioned himself as a candidate for change amid a backdrop of simmering discontent across the country.
Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted from Sri Lanka in 2022 due to mass protests sparked by the economic collapse.
Years of undertaxation, sluggish exports and major policy mistakes, combined with the coronavirus pandemic, have depleted the country’s foreign exchange reserves, pushed public debt above $83 billion and sent inflation soaring to 70%.
Getty Images
Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic crisis had people queuing up for basic necessities, and two years on, many are still struggling.
President Rajapaksa and his government have been blamed for the crisis. His successor, President Wickremesinghe, has introduced economic reforms that have tamed inflation and boosted the Sri Lankan rupee, but people continue to suffer.
On a deeper level, the 2022 economic crisis and the circumstances surrounding it (systemic corruption, political impunity, etc.) created a demand for a different kind of political leadership, a demand that Dissanayake exploited to his own advantage.
Critics have positioned Mr Trump as a potential disruptor to a status quo that has long fostered corruption and nepotism among the political elite.
Dissanayake has repeatedly said he plans to dissolve Parliament to scrap the policy and grant new powers once he takes power, and in a recent interview with BBC Sinhala he suggested he would do so within days of being elected.
“There is no point in continuing a parliament that does not meet the people’s wishes,” he said.
Defender of the Poor
Dissanayake’s policy pledges include tough anti-corruption measures, expanding welfare programs and promising to cut taxes.
Tax increases and welfare cuts were implemented by the current government as part of an austerity programme aimed at getting the country’s economy back on track, but they have left many people unable to make ends meet.
Dissanayake’s promise to curb such measures appeared to galvanise voter support in an election where analysts expected economic worries to be a top issue.
“High inflation, high living costs and poverty in the country have voters desperate for solutions that will stabilise prices and improve lives,” Sowmya Bhowmik, an associate research fellow at the India-based think tank Observer Research Foundation, told the BBC ahead of the election.
“As Sri Lanka seeks to emerge from economic collapse, these elections mark a pivotal moment in shaping the country’s recovery trajectory and restoring confidence in its governance both at home and with the international community.”
Getty Images
Dissanayake’s promises to cut taxes and increase welfare payments were well received by voters.
Some observers, including investors and market participants, have expressed concern that Dissanayake’s economic policies could affect fiscal targets and hinder Sri Lanka’s path to recovery.
However, the presidential candidate softened his message during his election speeches, insisting he was committed to ensuring Sri Lanka repays its debt.
He also noted that any changes would be made in consultation with the International Monetary Fund, which is supporting the country’s still-struggling economy.
Many analysts believe the next president’s main task will be to build a stable economy.
“The most serious challenge is how to revive this economy, including controlling public expenditure and increasing public revenues,” Athurasiri Samarakoon, senior lecturer in political science and international studies at the Sri Lanka Open University, told the BBC.
“Future governments will need to work with the International Monetary Fund,” he noted.
‘A stunning victory’
About 76 percent of Sri Lanka’s 17.1 million eligible voters cast ballots in Saturday’s election, according to authorities.
By Sunday morning, Dissanayake had already received congratulatory messages from supporters of his two main rivals, incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
Foreign Minister Ali Sabri said at X that early results clearly pointed to a victory for Mr Dissanayake.
“I campaigned hard for President Ranil Wickremesinghe but the people of Sri Lanka have made the decision and I fully respect their trust in Anura Kumara Dissanayake,” Sabry said.
Councillor Harsha de Silva, who supports Mr Premadasa, said he had called Mr Dissanayake to congratulate him.
“We campaigned hard for Sajith Premadasa but it did not happen. It is clear that Anuradisanayake will be the new president of Sri Lanka,” said de Silva, who is representing Colombo in Parliament.
MA Sumanthiran, spokesman for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), another supporter of Premadasa, said Dissanayake had won a “stunning victory” without resorting to “racial or religious chauvinism”.
Additional reporting from BBC Sinhala
