Since the economic collapse in 2022, the island nation of Sri Lanka held its first election with 38 candidates vying for the presidential seat.
As per media reports, voting in Sri Lanka will begin at 7 a.m. local time and end at 4 p.m., after which the results will be recorded. Results are expected on Sunday. The country’s 10th president will be chosen from among 17 out of 22 million eligible voters, with economic concerns like social welfare programs, inflation, and fuel and food shortages taking precedence.
Key candidates
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is running for re-election, is leading the field. However, he faces competition from two other political heavyweights.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a key competitor for the country’s top position, is leading opinion polls ahead of the election. His party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), has twice spearheaded Marxist uprisings against the government and was a major force behind the nationwide protests that broke out in 2022.
The leader of Sri Lanka’s main opposition party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), is 57-year-old Sajith Premadasa, the son of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa. He was defeated by Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the 2019 election but has made a comeback by promising to tax the rich to alleviate poverty in the nation.
What’s at stake for India?
The elections in Sri Lanka carry influence beyond their borders; with it’s neighboring nation, India has vested interests for a number of reasons.
Across the ocean, the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka maintains close ties to the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Tamilian minority and its supporters are concerned, with Sinhalese candidates leading the way. The Tamil community in Sri Lanka, according to the media, has “no hope” in the outcome of the presidential election.
However, China’s increasing sway over the state of Sri Lanka is India’s main concern. Because of its strategic location for both trade and military operations, the two nations have been vying for foothold in Sri Lanka. According to the media, the Indian Adani Group has embarked on a multibillion-dollar project to expand the Colombo West International Terminal.
A financial setback also led to Sri Lanka handing over control of Hambantota, a major shipping hub, to China for 99 years. As reported by the media, between 2006 and 2022, China gave Sri Lanka 11.2 billion dollars in loans, bailouts, and grants. This indicates that its dependence on China has increased over time.
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