Sri Lankan leader seeks big majority in snap election

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - COLOMBO — Votes are being counted in Sri Lanka after snap parliamentary elections, barely seven weeks after a new president was sworn in.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, whose Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party had just three seats in the outgoing assembly, hopes to get a clear majority. He was elected on a promise to combat corruption and restore stability after the island's worst ever economic crisis.

The high cost of living is still a key issue for many voters.

Nearly two-thirds of former MPs chose not to run for re-election, including prominent members of the former ruling Rajapaksa dynasty. Results are expected on Friday.

"We believe that this is a crucial election that will mark a turning point in Sri Lanka," President Dissanayake told reporters after voting in the capital Colombo.

The man he defeated in the presidential elections, Sajith Premadasa, was leading the opposition alliance.

Sri Lanka's 17.1 million registered voters had to choose from more than 8,800 candidates in an election marked by a low-key campaign. Election monitors estimated turnout at 60-65%.

“Voter enthusiasm was less evident today. This was partly due to the dull campaign. We haven’t seen any violence and there are no big violations,” Rohana Hettiarachchi, executive director of poll monitoring group People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections, told the BBC.

Out of 225 seats in the parliament, 196 MPs will be directly elected. The rest will be nominated by parties based on the percentage of votes they get in what is known as proportional representation.

High inflation, food and fuel shortages precipitated a political crisis in 2022 which led to the ousting of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. His successor Ranil Wickremesinghe managed to negotiate a bailout package worth $3bn with the International Monetary Fund — but many Sri Lankans continue to feel economic hardship.

"We are still stuck with the problems we faced before. We still don't have financial help even to fulfill our daily needs," 26-year-old garment factory worker Manjula Devi, who works in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone near Colombo, told the BBC.

The number of people living below the poverty line in Sri Lanka has risen to 25.9% in the past four years. The World Bank expects the economy to grow by only 2.2% in 2024.

Disenchantment with established political players greatly helped the left-leaning Dissanayake during September's election. His party has traditionally backed strong state intervention and lower taxes, and campaigned for leftist economic policies.

Analysts expect the JVP-led coalition to do well in the elections but what remains to be determined is the margin of victory, and whether it gets the two-thirds majority it wants to be able to pass its ambitious reforms.

Dissanayake made history as Sri Lanka's first president to be elected with less than 50% of the vote. Many observers think his alliance will do better this time.

How his alliance fares will be partly due to a fragmented opposition – with many leaders and parties breaking away into either smaller groups, or contesting as independent candidates.

Observers say the JVP-led alliance ran a more vibrant campaign than the opposition, which is likely to have a significant impact on the outcome of the election.

What is clear is that whoever comes into power will be under massive pressure to perform and live up to their campaign promises.

Sri Lanka's economic situation remains precarious – and the main focus is still on providing essential goods and services. How the country progresses from this point will be a real challenge for the new government. — BBC