Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumar Dissanayake has been sworn in, promising to “rewrite historical past” in a rustic recovering from its worst financial disaster.
The left-leaning Dissanayake has portrayed himself as a disruptor of the political established order, with analysts seeing his victory as a rejection of the corruption and cronyism that has lengthy plagued the nation.
Saturday’s election is the primary since 2022, when financial discontent sparked mass protests and ousted former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from energy.
Dissanayak obtained congratulatory messages from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the US State Division.
The 55-year-old president, also referred to as AKD, stated in an announcement on the eve of his swearing-in that “this victory belongs to all of us” and that Sri Lanka is within the midst of a “new starting.”
“Thousands and thousands of eyes stuffed with hope and expectation push us ahead and we stand able to rewrite Sri Lanka’s historical past,” he stated.
In the course of the marketing campaign, Dissanayake promised voters good governance and strict anti-corruption measures.
He promised to develop Sri Lanka’s manufacturing, agriculture and knowledge know-how industries. He additionally pledged to proceed an settlement with the Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF) to assist Sri Lanka emerge from the financial disaster whereas lowering the influence of austerity measures on the nation’s poorest folks.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena resigned earlier than Dissanayake was sworn in, paving the way in which for the dissolution of parliament.
Dissanayake earlier advised BBC Sinhala in an interview that he would dissolve Parliament quickly after being elected.
He stated on the time: “There is no such thing as a level in persevering with if Parliament is just not aligned with the desires of the folks.”
Dissanayake received after votes had been counted into the second spherical on Sunday, as no candidate was in a position to win greater than 50% of the whole vote within the first spherical.
After the Electoral Fee tallied the second and third votes for the president, Dissanayake received with 5,740,179 votes.
Opposition chief Sajith Premadasa got here second with 4,530,902 votes. Outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe obtained 2,299,767 votes within the first spherical and was excluded from the second spherical.
Wickremesinghe congratulated his successor, saying: “With love and respect for this beloved nation, I entrust its future to the brand new president”.
As of this weekend’s voting, Sri Lanka’s eight presidential elections since 1982 have resulted in a winner within the first spherical of counting. The ballot has been known as one of many closest within the nation’s historical past.
Dissanayake’s anti-corruption platform resonates strongly with voters who’ve been calling for systemic change because the disaster.
This allowed him to beat fears concerning the violent previous of his celebration, the Marxist Individuals’s Get together (JVP), which launched two armed rebellions in opposition to the Sri Lankan authorities within the Seventies and Eighties.
Dissanayake’s alliance, the JVP, of which the JVP is part, rose to prominence throughout the 2022 protests, dubbed “Aragalaya” – the “Sinhala wrestle”.
Lately, Dissanayake has additionally sought to reasonable his celebration’s far-left stance.
The nation’s new president will face the twin process of reviving the financial system and lifting hundreds of thousands of individuals out of utmost poverty.
The financial collapse fueled the Alagalaya rebellion, which ousted Rajapaksa from the presidential palace in 2022.
On the time, Sri Lanka’s international trade reserves had dried up, leaving the nation unable to import important items corresponding to gas. Public debt ballooned to $83 billion, whereas inflation soared to 70%.
This makes primary requirements corresponding to meals and medication unaffordable for unusual folks.
The nation’s financial woes have been blamed on main coverage errors, weak exports and years of tax income shortfalls. The scenario has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has killed tourism, a key financial driver.
Nevertheless, many additionally blame it on corruption and mismanagement, fueling anger in opposition to Rajapaksa and his household, who’ve dominated Sri Lanka collectively for greater than a decade.
“Probably the most severe problem is find out how to revive the financial system,” Dr Atulathri Samarakom, a political scientist on the Open College of Sri Lanka, advised BBC Sinhala.
throughout his time period of workplace Wickremesinghe obtained a $2.9 billion lifeline from the Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF), which was essential to opening up extra financing channels however was accompanied by strict financial and governance coverage reforms.
Sri Lanka is restructuring debt reimbursement phrases with home and international lenders on the request of the Worldwide Financial Fund. The primary focus is the nation’s $36 billion value of international debt, $7 billion of which is owed to China, its largest bilateral creditor.
Like Dissanayake, Premadasa additionally promotes IT growth and the institution of 25 new industrial zones. He stated tourism must be supported to make it the nation’s largest international trade earner.
Throughout his marketing campaign, Wickremesinghe stated he would double vacationer numbers and set up a nationwide wealth fund, in addition to new financial zones to spur development.
Extra BBC Sinhala reporting
