Author: Arpan Rai and Tara Cobham

Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake emerges victorious in Sri Lanka’s presidential election, defeating the old political guard blamed for economic turmoil. Dissanayake leads the leftwing coalition National People’s Power and pledged to renegotiate the IMF deal for better austerity measures. The election saw 38 candidates, with Dissanayake, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Sajith Premadasa in a three-way race. Wickremesinghe, in power since 2022, faced elimination in the first round. Dissanayake praised the collective efforts that brought his victory, with over 5.7 million votes. The election marked the first time in Sri Lankan history where a second round of voting decided the winner. The…