Sri Lanka to vote in first election since protests ousted leader

In the first vote since the country’s worst economic crisis, which led to widespread protests, the country’s head was ousted in 2022, the country will appoint a new president.

The vote on Saturday is widely regarded as a vote on economic reforms that will set the nation on the path to healing.

However, due to tax increases, lower grants, and lower security standards, many people are also struggling to make ends meet.

In what is shaping up to be a close contest, many experts predict that financial problems will be top of the minds of citizens.

” The region’s soaring inflation, skyrocketing cost-of-living and hardship have left the public eager for alternatives to stabilise costs and increase livelihoods”, Soumya Bhowmick, an interact fellow at India-based think tank the Observer Research Foundation, told the BBC.

This vote serves as a critical time for shaping Sri Lanka’s healing path and restoring both domestic and international trust in its management, according to the country’s attempt to recover from its economic collapse.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was charged with the huge process of leading Sri Lanka out of its economic decline, is seeking another word.

The 75-year-old was appointed by congress a fortnight after Gotabaya Rajapaksa was pushed out of office.

What little of the opposition action was left after Wickremesinghe took office was completely destroyed. He has also been accused of preventing the Rajapaksa community from being prosecuted and allowing them to recover, claims he has refuted.

Leftist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake, whose anti-corruption program has gained him more and more people support, is another strong candidate.

More candidates are running in Saturday’s vote than any other in Sri Lanka’s story. But of more than three hundred, four are dominating the fame.

Different than Wickremesinghe and Dissanayake, there is also the leader of the opposition, Sajith Premadasa, and the 38-year-old brother of the ousted president, Namal Rajapaksa.

Counting begins once polls close at 16: 00 local time ( 10: 30 GMT ), but results are not expected to become clear until Sunday morning.

The” Aragalaya” ( struggle ) uprising that deposed former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sparked by an economic meltdown.

Decades of under-taxation, weak exports and big policy problems, combined with the Covid-19 crisis dried up the government’s foreign exchange reserves. Public debt exceeded$ 83 billion, and inflation exceeded 70 %.

While the country’s social and political elites were largely shielded from the aftermath, basic necessities like food, cooking oil, and remedies became indisputable for regular people, leading to resentment and unrest.

Then-president Rajapaksa and his government were blamed for the problems, leading to months-long rallies calling for his departure.

On July 13th, 2022, in spectacular views that were broadcast around the world, people jumped into the swimming pool and ransack the house.

The time government of President Wickremesinghe imposed strict austerity measures to save the business in the midst of Rajapaksa’s journey from the nation- an captivity that lasted for 50 days.

Even though the economic reforms have safely lowered prices and strengthened the Sri Lankan dollar, regular Sri Lankans still experience the squeeze.

” Jobs are the hardest item to find”, says 32-year-old Yeshan Jayalath. ” Even with an accounting degree, I ca n’t find a permanent job”. Otherwise, he has been doing momentary or part-time work.

Many smaller companies across the nation are also still suffering from the issue.

Norbet Fernando, who was forced to close his roof tile manufacturer northwest of Colombo in 2022, claimed that natural materials like clay, wood, and oil are three times more expensive than they were two years ago. He continued,” Very few individuals are purchasing ceiling tiles or building houses.”

” After 35 years, it hurts to see my shop in remains”, Fernando told the BBC, adding that of the 800 stone companies in the area, just 42 have remained useful since 2022.

Sad demand is predicted by central banks data on business sentiments in 2022 and 2023, and even though the situation is improving in 2024, it is still not at pre-crisis amounts.

” The Sri Lankan business properly for now have been put back on its feet, but many people still need to be convinced the cost is worth paying”, Alan Keenan, the International Crisis Group’s ( ICG) senior advisor on Sri Lanka, told the BBC.

Ranil Wickremesinghe: Having previously lost twice at the presidential polls, Saturday marks his third chance to be elected by the Sri Lankan people, rather than parliament

Anura Kumara Dissanayake: The candidate of the leftist National People’s Party alliance promises tough anti-corruption measures and good governance

Sajith Premadasa: The opposition leader is representing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party – his father served as the second executive president of Sri Lanka before he was assassinated in 1993

Namal Rajapaksa: The son of Mahinda Rajapaksa, who led the country between 2005 and 2015, he hails from a powerful political lineage, but will need to win over voters who blame his family for the economic crisis

Voters in Sri Lanka select a single winner by placing three candidates in order of preference.

If a candidate receives an absolute majority, they will be declared the winner. If not, a second round of counting will commence, with second and third-choice votes then taken into account.

Because single candidates have always won decisively based on first-preference votes, no election in Sri Lanka has ever advanced to the second round of counting.

This year could be different.

” Opinion polls and initial campaigning suggest the vote is likely, for the first time ever, to produce a winner who fails to gain a majority of votes”, said Mr Keenan, of ICG.

Candidates, party leaders, and election officials should be prepared to resolve any potential conflicts in accordance with established procedures and with calm.