Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa headed to a run-off for Sri Lanka’s presidency on Sunday, the election body said, with a second round of counting to determine the winner using preferential votes.
It is the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that the presidential race is to be decided by a second round of counting after the top two candidates failed to win the mandatory 50% of votes to be declared winner.
All remaining candidates, including incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, have been disqualified, the Election Commission told reporters. Dissanayake polled 39.5% of the counted ballots with Premadasa finishing second at 34%.
Wickremesinghe, who led the heavily indebted nation’s fragile economic recovery from a debilitating crisis in 2022, trailed in third with 17%.
Dissanayake, 55, presented himself as the candidate of change for those reeling under austerity measures linked to a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, promising to dissolve parliament within 45 days of taking office for a fresh mandate for his policies in general elections.
Voting was peaceful, although police declared a curfew across the island nation until noon as a precaution while vote counting continued.
About 75% of the 17 million eligible voters cast their ballots, according to the commission.
