Sajith Premadasa waves as he arrives at the election commission office in Colombo in Sri Lanka on September 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Sri Lanka’s Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa, who lost to leftist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Saturday’s (September 21, 2024) presidential election, garnered the highest share of the Tamil minority’s vote, data published by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka showed.

Mr. Premadasa cumulatively secured over 40% of the votes across Tamil-majority areas in the island’s north, east, and central hill country. Significantly, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya leader obtained more votes than P. Ariyanethiran, a “common Tamil candidate” fielded by some political actors and civil society groups.

Weeks ahead of the polls, prominent Tamil party, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), pledged support for Mr. Premadasa, who drew Tamil votes in the 2019 election too, when he challenged Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Following the party’s announcement, some of its own members endorsed and canvassed for Mr. Ariyanethiran, reflecting sharp divisions within the Tamil polity and the main party.

While backers of the Tamil candidate argued that they had lost faith in the southern leadership and sought to “give a message” to the international community, others opposed the move on the grounds that it would weaken the bargaining power of Tamils. Some commentators even termed it a “political suicide”.

Posting on social media platform ‘X’ following Mr. Dissanayake’s victory, ITAK member and Jaffna legislator M.A. Sumanthiran said: “Congratulations @anuradisanayake for an impressive win, achieved without recourse to racial or religious chauvinism. Our thanks to the Tamil People in the North and East who voted for @sajithpremadasa rejecting others on #ITAK advice and showed the difference in the electoral map.”

On the other hand, fellow ITAK legislator Sivagnanam Shritharan said the Tamil candidate, too, had garnered a “considerable vote share” in districts across the north and east. “The common Tamil candidate has highlighted the weight of the Tamil vote, and those who opposed the move or others who called for a boycott of the polls will face the consequences of their actions very soon,” he told The Hindu.

Further, commenting on Mr. Dissanayake’s victory, he said: “It is clear that the Sinhalese people have voted for a leader who will stand against corruption and be honest, it is heartening to see that. We are eager to see if Mr. Dissanayake is able to engage with the Tamils, too, with honesty and sincerity,” he said, referring to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s [JVP, Mr. Dissanayake’s party] history of opposing Tamil self-determination and the Indo-Lanka Accord that sought to address Tamil concerns.

University of Jaffna academic Mahendran Thiruvarangan said he saw the JVP’s victory as a “positive outcome” of a crucial national election for change. However, he contended that the party must introspect on its past more openly, including its role in “fuelling Sinhala nationalism” and supporting support the war, “so minorities do not view them with suspicion”. “They are also yet to make an explicit and strong commitment to power devolution which will be crucial to win the trust of the Tamil minority,” he said.

National People’s Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake secures Presidential victory in Sri Lanka Presidential election 2024 on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: AP

Sri Lanka’s election commission declared a previously fringe politician the country’s president-elect on Sunday (September 22, 2024) after a vote coloured by discontent over the island nation’s response to an unprecedented financial crisis.

“Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the 55-year-old leader of the People’s Liberation Front, won the presidency with 42.31% of the vote in Saturday’s election,” the commission said.

Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa took second place with 32.76%. Outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe — who took office at the peak of the 2022 economic collapse and imposed tough austerity policies per the terms of an IMF bailout — took a distant third with 17.27%.

Mr. Wickremesinghe has yet to concede, but Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said it was clear that Mr. Dissanayake had won.

“Though I heavily campaigned for President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the people of Sri Lanka have made their decision, and I fully respect their mandate for Anura Kumara Dissanayake,” Mr. Sabry said on social media.

“Dissanayake will be sworn in on Monday (September 23, 2024)morning at the colonial-era President Secretariat in Colombo,” election commission officials said.

IMF deal

Economic issues dominated the eight-week campaign, with widespread public anger over the hardships endured since the peak of the crisis two years ago.

“Dissanayake would “not tear up” the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal but would seek to modify it,” a party politburo member told AFP.

“It is a binding document, but there is a provision to renegotiate,” said Bimal Ratnayake.

He said Mr. Dissanayake had pledged to reduce income taxes that were doubled by Wickremesinghe and slash sales taxes on food and medicines.

“We think we can get those reductions into the programme and continue with the four-year bailout programme,” he said.

Mr. Dissanayake’s once-marginal Marxist party led two failed uprisings in the 1970s and 1980s that left more than 80,000 people dead.

It won less than four percent of the vote during the most recent parliamentary elections in 2020.

But Sri Lanka’s crisis has proven an opportunity for Mr. Dissanayake, who has seen a surge of support based on his pledge to change the island’s “corrupt” political culture. “Our country needs a new political culture,” he said after casting his ballot on Saturday (September 21, 2024) .

Around 76% of Sri Lanka’s 17.1 million eligible voters cast ballots in Saturday’s (September 21, 2024) poll.

Mr. Dissanayake’s party sought to reassure India that any administration he led would not be caught up in geopolitical rivalry between its northern neighbour and China, the country’s largest lender.

New Delhi has expressed concerns over what it sees as Beijing’s growing influence in Sri Lanka, which sits on vital shipping lanes criss-crossing the Indian Ocean.

“Sri Lankan territory will not be used against any other nation,” Mr. Ratnayake told AFP. “We are fully aware of the geopolitical situation in our region, but we will not participate,” he added.

Austerity rejected

Mr. Wickremesinghe sought re-election to continue belt-tightening measures that stabilised the economy and ended months of food, fuel and medicine shortages during Sri Lanka’s economic meltdown.

His two years in office restored calm to the streets after civil unrest spurred by the downturn saw thousands storm the compound of his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who then fled the country.

But Mr. Wickremesinghe’s tax hikes and other measures imposed under the $2.9 billion IMF bailout he secured last year left millions struggling to make ends meet.

Official data showed that Sri Lanka’s poverty rate doubled to 25% between 2021 and 2022, adding more than 2.5 million people to those already living on less than $3.65 a day.

Thousands of police were deployed to keep watch over voting on Saturday (September 22, 2024).

A temporary curfew was imposed after polls closed, despite police reporting that there had been no violence during or after balloting. No victory rallies or celebrations are permitted until a week after the final results are declared.