People queue up to cast their vote at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Nov 14, 2024. (AP Photo/ Eranga Jayawardena)
Sri Lanka’s newly elected president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has secured a strong mandate for his economic revival plans, with his National People’s Power Party (NPP) winning a majority in parliament. Official election results released on Friday revealed that the NPP claimed at least 123 out of 225 seats, cementing its control of the legislature.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (United People’s Power Party), led by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, secured 31 seats. Dissanayake, who assumed the presidency on September 21, had faced doubts about his party’s prospects in the parliamentary elections after receiving just 42% of the vote in the presidential race. However, the NPP’s popularity surged, reflecting growing support during his first weeks in office.
In a notable development, the NPP captured the Jaffna district—an ethnic Tamil stronghold in the north—as well as other minority-dominated regions. This marks a significant shift in voter sentiment, as ethnic Tamil parties, traditionally dominant in the region, faced declining support. Political analyst Veeragathy Thanabalasingham suggested that the NPP’s success was partly due to Tamil voters’ disillusionment with their usual political representatives, who ran divided campaigns.
Sri Lanka’s proportional representation system decided 196 parliamentary seats, with the remaining 29 allocated based on national vote proportions. The election comes at a pivotal time for the nation, which is grappling with the aftermath of a severe economic crisis. Sri Lanka declared bankruptcy in 2022 after defaulting on external debt and is now undergoing a bailout program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). While Dissanayake initially criticized the IMF deal signed by his predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe, he has since committed to following its terms.
The country’s economic woes stem from a combination of mismanagement and external shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of 2019 militant attacks that devastated tourism. A 2019 tax cut further depleted government revenue, leaving Sri Lanka unable to fund imports or stabilize its currency. These issues triggered a political crisis, forcing former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign in 2022. Wickremesinghe, who replaced him, managed to stabilize the economy but faced criticism over tax hikes and rising costs, ultimately leading to his electoral defeat.
Dissanayake’s campaign resonated with voters by emphasizing a break from the corruption and mismanagement they blamed for the economic collapse. His promises to prosecute corrupt officials and recover misappropriated assets struck a chord with the public, raising hopes for a new era of governance.
Jeewantha Balasuriya, a businessman from Gampaha, expressed optimism about the NPP’s victory. “People have given them a strong mandate. I am hopeful that the NPP will use this opportunity to rebuild the country,” he said, adding that curbing corruption and restoring law and order are essential for economic recovery.
