Mr Dissanayake secured victory over opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and incumbent liberal president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over the country two years ago after its economy hit rock bottom. Mr Dissanayake received 5,740,179 votes, followed by Mr Premadasa with 4,530,902, Election Commission data showed.
“This achievement is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you. Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory belongs to all of us,” Mr Dissanayake said in a post on X/Twitter.
Mr Dissanayake leads National People’s Power, a left-wing coalition of civil society groups, professionals, students and Buddhist clergy. The election, held on Saturday, came amid the worst economic crisis in the country’s history and the resulting political upheaval. Contested by 38 candidates, it was largely a three-way race between Mr Dissanayake, Mr Wickremesinghe and Mr Premadasa.
Denne historien er fra September 23, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 23, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Redemption song rings out sweetly for resilient Dubois
He entered the ring as both the world heavyweight champion and the underdog at the end of a week where he was certainly not the star attraction.
Vexed Verstappen swears he is close to pulling the plug
Away from the sweat-inducing action on track, it was a tempestuous Formula One weekend in Singapore.
City sailing into title waves without talismanic anchor
A red card and a late goal saved the day for Manchester City but Rodri's injury could have far more telling consequences
UK faces 'critical shortage' of skilled tradespeople
The UK faces a critical shortage of skilled tradespeople that threatens to undermine ambitions on housing and net zero, a new report is warning.
Ukraine will fight street to street to keep Russians out
Now facing constant bombing, soldiers and residents in the eastern Donetsk city of Pokrovsk tell Askold Krushelnycky about the drawn-out siege they are bracing themselves for
A sobering truth behind the anti-alcohol movement...
I am scared about the future of wine.
The hills are alive... with the sound of Brits flying the coop
When the most English man in England decides he’s Austrian, maybe Brexit hasn’t been the saviour of our national identity that was promised.
It seems Rayner's not such a working class hero after all
The current row over Labour Party donations has been rumbling on for some time, but the latest revelation about Angela Rayner’s alleged hiring of a £57,000-plus-a-year photographer is particularly disheartening.
Seven dead in Japan due to flooding in quake-hit areas
The death toll from record levels of rainfall that hit the northern part of Japan's Noto peninsula has risen to seven, authorities said yesterday.
Marxist outsider takes oath as new Sri Lanka president
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning politician and leader of the People’s Liberation Front – JVP or Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna – has been sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president after winning the election with 42.31 per cent of the vote.
