TL/DR –
The party of Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning leader, won a two-thirds majority in parliament, reflecting strong public support for his economic revival plans. The National People’s Power Party won 159 out of 225 seats, a victory that will allow Dissanayake to implement sweeping reforms, including the delivery of a new constitution, without reliance on other parties. The election comes amidst Sri Lanka’s struggle to recover from its worst economic crisis ever, following a bankruptcy declaration and defaulting on its external debt in 2022.
Sri Lanka’s New Marxist-Leaning President’s Party Wins Majority
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The National People’s Power Party (NPP) of Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won a two-thirds majority in parliament, providing a strong mandate for his economic revival program according to official election results. The NPP secured 159 of the 225 seats, as confirmed by the Elections Commission.
The opposition party, United People’s Power Party led by Sajith Premadasa, secured 40 seats making it the second.
READ MORE: Anura Kumara Dissanayake becomes Sri Lanka’s president in historic win
This election comes as Sri Lanka is emerging from its worst economic crisis, after declaring bankruptcy following a default on its external debt in 2022. The victory margin will enable Dissanayake to implement sweeping reforms, including a new constitution, without the need for other party support.
Dissanayake won the presidency in September, gaining substantial party support within two months. In a major shift, the NPP also secured the Jaffna district, an ethnic Tamil stronghold in the north, disrupting traditional Tamil parties’ dominance.
NPP official Tilvin Silva described the victory as “complete,” thanking northern Tamil voters for their trust. The vote shift reflects the disillusionment with traditional Tamil parties, according to Colombo-based political analyst Veeragathy Thanabalasingham.
Under Sri Lanka’s electoral system, 196 of the 225 parliamentary seats are decided by district vote proportion, while the remaining 29, or national list seats, are allocated based on total votes received countrywide.
Sri Lanka is currently undergoing a bailout program with the IMF and international creditor debt restructuring is nearly complete. Despite initial disagreement, President Dissanayake has agreed to the targets set in the IMF deal signed by his predecessor, Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The pandemic, alongside economic mismanagement and slashing of taxes in 2019, severely impacted the country’s economy, depleting foreign exchange reserves and leading to a political crisis that saw then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resign in 2022.
READ MORE: How Sri Lanka’s presidential election unfolded
While the economy stabilized under Wickremesinghe, public dissatisfaction grew over increased electricity bills and new taxes on professionals and businesses. This dissatisfaction and the NPP’s anti-corruption stance drew voters to Dissanayake, promising hope for recovering allegedly stolen assets.
Businessman Jeewantha Balasuriya hopes Dissanayake and the NPP will use their victory to rebuild the country. “People have given them a strong mandate. I am hopeful that the NPP will use this mandate to uplift the country from the present pathetic situation,” he said.
—
Read More US Political News