SRI LANKA — Voters in the island nation went to the polls on Saturday to choose from 38 presidential candidates, following a major economic crisis in Sri Lanka marked by protests that led to the toppling of the government in 2022. Results are expected to be announced later today or on Sunday.
Many voters in this predominantly Buddhist nation of 22 million people – roughly the size of West Virginia – south of India are dissatisfied with the country's political culture as it slowly emerges from an economic crisis.
Reuters reports that the economy is one of the biggest problems, with inflation hitting record highs after the collapse in 2022 due to a severe shortage of dollars. Up to 70%. He added that inflation has since subsided and GDP growth is forecast to be the “first in three years.”
There is huge confusion “across the island” and people are “unsure” who to vote for.
Sri Lankan lawmakers vie for prime minister
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, a supporter of presidential candidate Samagi Jana Balawegaya (United People's Power), holds a banner during the final campaign rally before the 2024 presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on September 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
“There's a large segment of the population that doesn't want to vote,” voter Vinod Moonesinghe told Fox News Digital.
He predicted that “there may be a lower turnout” than previous years due to disillusionment with a number of factors, including dynastic politics, the candidates themselves being surrounded by corrupt figures, and a general distrust of the political class after years of corruption and empty promises.
A man casts his vote at a polling station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Saturday, September 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Of the 38 candidates, leading contenders include incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP), right-wing opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of the newly formed Socialist-Marxist party, Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Socialist-Marxist leaning NPP, and nationalist Namal Rajapaksa of the Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP).
The current government led by Wickremesinghe, in power since 2022, has negotiated with creditors and secured the Extended Financing Facility (EFF) programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country's main debtor.
Supporters of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe play carrom inside his election office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, ahead of the Sept. 21 presidential election, September 16, 2024. (REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte)
“This time, we are the only party that has a nationalist orientation,” Namal Rajapaksa, son of former Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) president Mahinda Rajapaksa, told Fox News Digital.
Asked how he would overcome the challenges associated with the party's history, he said: “We will continue from where my father's term ended in 2015.”
He dismissed criticism that his party is pro-China, citing global security concerns.
“No one will use Sri Lanka's land, air or sea to attack another country,” Rajapaksa said, predicting a surge in trade between the United States and Sri Lanka if he wins.
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Rohan Gunaratna, a professor of security studies at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, said ties with the United States would remain strong regardless of the outcome.
“The United States and Sri Lanka [partnership] “Sri Lanka will not be affected no matter which candidate or party comes to power. Sri Lanka's foreign policy is multi-directional and we will work with the East and the West to build Sri Lanka.”
Presidential candidate, media mogul and businessman Dilith Jayaweera, leader of the newly formed Mauvima Janata Party (MJP), told Fox News Digital: “The situation in Sri Lanka is [has] “It has completely changed,” he said, adding that “traditional politicians” lacked “management skills”.
He believes voters want a new approach to politics, including new candidates. He noted that protesters often chant “reject all 225 seats in the Knesset,” suggesting people are calling for new politicians.
National People's Power leader and presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake speaks to supporters during his final rally before the elections, Wednesday, September 18, 2024, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (AP Photo/Elanga Jayawardena)
“We are in the middle of a pandemic,” Osama Ibrahim, another voter, told Fox News Digital. [lines] “During the worst economic crisis in 2022, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe spent hours pulling us out of the crisis by restructuring our debt so that it could be repaid later. But if the winner of this election does not have a solid long-term plan, will we be back to square one?”
Recent polls suggest that the JVP, a communist party that is part of the NPP coalition, is garnering support. “Other traditional politicians have a culture of moving from one position to another, playing what we call 'musical chairs' or leapfrogging, so we see many of the mainstream parties now as two sides of the same coin,” taxi driver Nihal Fernando told Fox News Digital. Fernando lamented that the same political families have been in power since independence in 1948, and after three generations, “change is welcome.”
“Can things get any worse for working class people like me?” he asked.
Supporters of the president and independent presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe wave the national flag during a rally in Minuwangoda, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, September 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Senaka Seneviratne, a Sri Lankan who has lived in the United States for 30 years, told Fox News Digital that many Sri Lankans abroad want Sri Lanka to prosper because they are “worried about their families back home.” He noted that the anxiety about the election among Sri Lankans abroad is not much different from that of Sri Lankans, with some “going back home to vote.”
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“Many people are angry and frustrated. This anger and despair is translating into voting for the JVP, a newcomer that has never held full political power,” Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives and a political analyst, told Fox News Digital.
He noted that the JVP does not have the same support among minorities as Premadasa and Wickremesinghe, adding that “Wickremesinghe restored some political stability during his two years in office.”If they fail to reach a majority, he said, the presidential election could go to a “second round.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
