Anura Kumara Dissanayake was born on 24 November 1968 in Tambastegama.
Sri Lanka's Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has a commanding lead in the country's presidential election, winning about 53 percent of the votes counted. Dissanayake, running for the National People's Power coalition, beat opposition leader Sajith Premadasa (22 percent) and President Ranil Wickremesinghe, according to the Sri Lankan Election Commission.
Here are some facts about Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
- Anura Kumara Dissanayake was born on 24 November 1968 in Tambutegama, Sri Lanka. His father was a labourer and his mother a housewife. He attended the local school and was the first student to enrol at university.
- Dissanayake joined the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) as a student and became heavily involved in politics during the JVP uprising of 1987-1989. He initially studied at the University of Peradeniya but dropped out after receiving threats, and later graduated with a degree in Physical Sciences from the University of Kelaniya in 1995.
- Anura Kumara Dissanayake rose through the ranks of the JVP to become a key figure in the party leadership. In 1995, he was appointed national organiser of the Socialist Students' Association and joined the JVP Central Action Committee. By 1998, he had secured a prominent position in the JVP Politburo. During this time, the JVP returned to mainstream politics under Somawansa Amarasinghe, initially supporting Chandrika Kumaratunga's government but soon becoming a vocal critic of it.
- In 2004, Dissanayake became minister for agriculture, livestock, land and irrigation in President Chandrika Kumaratunga's government, but in 2005 he and other JVP ministers resigned in protest at a joint government-LTTE agreement on tsunami relief coordination.
- Dissanayake succeeded Somawantha Amarasinghe as leader of the JVP in 2014 and ran as the JVP's presidential candidate in 2019, finishing third with 3% of the vote. He has announced that he will run again for president in 2024 as a member of the National People's Power (NPP). Known for his critical stance on Sri Lanka's economic policies, Dissanayake opposes the IMF's terms and advocates for renegotiations to reduce taxes such as income tax and eliminate VAT on essential items. His policies focus on promoting social welfare and supporting businesses through targeted tax reforms.
