President Ranil Wickremesinghe addresses his supporters after submitting his nomination papers for the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for September 21, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

COLOMBO

As many as 39 presidential aspirants will contest a crucial poll in Sri Lanka on September 21, the Election Commission said on Thursday (August 15, 2024), after closing nominations.

Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who rose to the top office through a parliamentary vote during the island nation’s 2022 crisis, is seeking a mandate to take forward his government’s economic reform agenda.

Mr. Wickremesinghe, 75, is contesting as an independent candidate on a “stability” plank, while his main challengers Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, who broke away from Mr. Wickremesinghe’s United National Party following political differences, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who leads the centre-left National People’s Power alliance, are promising change.

More recently, Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, entered the race, becoming the first prominent member from the family to face the electorate after a people’s movement dislodged them from power in 2022, when the island experienced its worst financial meltdown in decades. Lawyer Nuwan Bopage, a prominent activist representing a section of the 2022 uprising, is also contesting for the recently formed ‘People’s Struggle Alliance’.

Addressing supporters after filing his nomination President Wickremesinghe said, “Had I not stepped up [in 2022] Sri Lanka would face the crisis now plaguing Bangladesh… I ask for your mandate to continue this work.”

Many Sri Lankans credit Mr. Wickremesinghe for leading the country at a challenging time and setting its economy on a path of recovery. However, his government’s austerity measures, introduced as part of an Internal Monetary Fund-backed programme, have hit most citizens hard. His opponents Mr. Premadasa and Mr. Dissanayake have promised to renegotiate the IMF’s package and alleviate the economic suffering ofSri Lankans.

Nearly 17 million eligible voters will have a say on September 21, when the country goes to the polls for the first time after former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was unseated by citizens in 2022.

President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will contest the Presidential election as an independent candidate, his aide said on July 7.

Deputy Chairman of the United National Party Ruwan Wijewardene confirmed that the presidential election will definitely be held and Mr. Wickremesinghe, 75, will contest the election as an independent candidate, News 1st reported.

“Only one leader possesses the knowledge to solve Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. That is Ranil Wickremesinghe. He has proved it with his actions,” he was quoted as saying by the news portal.

On July 7, Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake said the electoral body would be legally empowered after July 17 to announce the date for the election.

Mr. Ratnayake added that the commission will announce the date for the next presidential poll before the end of this month.

The Election Commission in May said the presidential election would be conducted between September 17 and October 16.

Mr. Ratnayake said the commission is currently in the process of putting final touches to the 2024 electoral register which will be the basis for the election. Over 17 million would be eligible to vote in the election as per the revised list, officials said.

In April 2022, the island nation declared its first-ever sovereign default since gaining Independence from Britain in 1948. The unprecedented financial crisis led President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit office in 2022 amid civil unrest over his inability to handle the crisis.

In July 2022, Mr. Wickremesinghe was elected through parliament to become stop-gap President for the balance term of Mr. Rajapaksa.

Mr. Wickremesinghe, also the Finance Minister, hasn’t made any public statement on his bid for re-election.

“This election isn’t merely about selecting individuals but about choosing the most effective system for our country’s progress. If you believe in the merits of the current approach, let us proceed accordingly,” the President’s Media Division quoted him as saying earlier.

The government under Mr. Wickremesinghe has set in place hard economic reforms as dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

President Wickremesinghe last month said that his government has finalised a long-delayed debt restructuring agreement for $5.8 billion with its bilateral lenders, including India and China, in Paris to meet a key condition of an IMF bailout.