Sri Lanka President Dissanayake's coalition wins big

The party of Sri Lanka's new Marxist-leaning President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won a landslide victory in snap legislative elections, results from the Indian Ocean island's poll body showed on Friday.

Dissanayake's coalition, the National People's Power (NPP), secured at least 123 seats in the 225-member assembly, according to the partial results released by the Elections Commission.ion.

After winning the presidential election in September, Dissanayake is seeking a mandate for his policies aimed at alleviating distress among the poor in a country that has been poverty-ravaged in recent years.

Dissanayake's coalition had just three of parliament's 225 seats before Thursday's election, prompting him to dissolve it and seek a fresh mandate.

'We expect a mandate,' says Dissanayake

"We see this as a critical turning point for Sri Lanka. We expect a mandate to form a strong parliament, and we are confident the people will give us this mandate," Dissanayake said after casting his vote on Thursday. "There is a change in Sri Lanka's political culture that started in September, which must continue."

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya party of opposition leader Sajith Premadasa won 35 seats. Backed by previous President Ranil Wickremesinghe, The New Democratic Front won three seats.

Just over 17 million citizens were eligible vote in Sri Lanka. A record 690 political parties and independent groups were taking part in the election across 22 districts.

A political outsider in a country dominated by family parties for decades, Dissanayake supports policies to fight poverty, such as larger welfare measures, and graft.

jsi/sms (AP, Reuters)