Sri Lanka: Voting begins in snap parliamentary election

Voting began in Sri Lanka's snap parliamentary election on Thursday, where voters will decide whether newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will win  enough seats to push his anti-poverty and economic recovery policies.

More than 17 million eligible voters will elect lawmakers to parliament for a five-year term. There are 8,821 candidates vying for the 196 seats.

"All arrangements are in place, and we appeal to the public to work with us to ensure a free and fair election," Election Commission Chairman RML Rathnayake said on Tuesday.

Election results are expected on Friday.

Economy woes and change of government

The leftist Dissanayake was elected in September after the island nation's economic woes caused a political crisis that forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign in 2022 and then drove the previous Ranil Wickremesinghe government out of power.

Sri Lanka is currently in the middle of a bailout program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The president has announced his goals to reduce taxes and boost welfare.

Dissanayake's National People's Power (NPP) coalition had only three of 225 seats in parliament, prompting Dissanayake to dissolve the legislature almost a year early, to seek a stronger mandate for his policies. He aims to advance anti-poverty initiatives, expand welfare programs, and tackle corruption.

His main opponents are Sajith Premadasa's Samagi Jana Balawegaya and the New Democratic Front, backed by Wickremesinghe.

"In past elections, people did not have confidence in us, but in September people gave us victory and proved that we are a winning party, and we can form a government," Dissanayake said on Sunday.

"The next task is to unite people from the four corners of this country and build a powerful people's movement."

'Opposition appears dead'

In 2022, an economic crisis forced Colombo to declare bankruptcy after defaulting on its external debt. This caused the economy to shrink by 7.3% in 2022 and 2.3% last year.

The economy is tentatively recovering, fueled by a $2.9 billion (€2.75 billion) International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program.

But many voters, especially the poor, are reeling under the high cost of living.

Meanwhile, with over 60 senior politicians from the previous administration staying out of the polls, political analyst Kusal Perera told AFP news agency that the opposition appears "dead."

"The result of the election is a foregone conclusion," he said.

ss/sms (AP, Reuters, AFP)