Sri Lanka Votes For New President On Saturday. All You Need To Know

The people of Sri Lanka are set to vote for a new president on Saturday in an election that will be key in deciding the future reforms in the country that is reeling under an unprecedented economic crisis. 

More than 17 million Sri Lankans are eligible to vote for their next president, who will serve a five-year term.

Who all are nominated?

The Sri Lankan elections panel approved the nominations of 39 candidates, including the incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe. One candidate died later. Among the frontrunners are Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, leader of the National People’s Power party, and leader of opposition Sajith Premadasa from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party.

How did the candidates campaign?

The current president, Mr Wickremesinghe, held his first rally on August 17 in the historic city of Anuradhapura. It was the first out of nearly a 100 of his rallies. His key rivals also held about a dozen rallies each.

The campaigning ended at midnight on Wednesday, 48 hours before election day.

What is the election process?

Sri Lanka follows the first-past-the-post system, allowing voters to choose three candidates. The candidate securing at least 50% or more of the overall vote is declared the winner.

In case no candidate gets 50% votes in the first round, there is a legal provision for a run-off between the two frontrunners. Given the close race, Sri Lanka could see a second count for the first time in four decades since the introduction of the voting system.

How will the votes be counted?

Sri Lankans will cast their votes at thousands of polling stations amid tight security. Government employees will count them afterwards under the supervision of Election Commission officials, election monitors and representatives of candidates.

Voting will begin at 7 AM local time and end at 4 PM. Counting will start shortly after.

When will the results be declared?

The winner will formally be announced by the Election Commission, probably on Sunday. The oath taking ceremony usually takes place on the same day.