In the first round, no candidate won over 50%, with Dissanayake receiving 42.31% and his main rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, earning 32.76%. After tallying voters’ second and third preferences, Dissanayake emerged as the winner, promising strong anti-corruption measures and improved governance.
Saturday’s election marked the first since mass protests ousted former leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022 amid Sri Lanka’s severe economic crisis. Dissanayake, 55, celebrated his victory, calling it “a win for us all” on the social media platform X.
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The Election Commission confirmed that he secured a total of 5,740,179 votes, surpassing Premadasa’s 4,530,902. Dissanayake has vowed to focus on economic recovery by strengthening the manufacturing, agriculture, and IT sectors while maintaining Sri Lanka’s bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He also promised to mitigate the effects of austerity on the country’s poorest citizens.
This election was the first in Sri Lanka’s history to require a second round of counting, making it one of the closest contests to date. Seventeen million Sri Lankans were eligible to vote, and the Elections Commission hailed it as the most peaceful poll ever. However, police imposed a curfew late Saturday for “public safety,” which was lifted by noon the next day.
Dissanayake’s platform of good governance and anti-corruption struck a chord with voters who have sought systemic change since the economic collapse. Despite concerns over the violent past of his party, the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which led two armed uprisings in the 1970s and 80s, Dissanayake has moderated its hard-left stance in recent years.
As early results showed him leading, he received congratulatory messages from several prominent figures, including the country’s foreign minister. However, Premadasa closed the gap, leading to the need for a second count.
Outgoing president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who finished third with 17% of the vote and was eliminated from the second round, congratulated Dissanayake, saying, “With much love and respect for this beloved nation, I hand over its future to the new president.”
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