People wait in a queue to cast their votes at a polling center during the Presidential election on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka on Saturday (September 21, 2024).
| Photo Credit: AP

Sri Lankans gave their mandate to the country’s next leader in a peacefully held Presidential election on Saturday (September 21, 2024). The outcome of the critical election, expected on Sunday (September 22, 2024), is watched closely as the island nation navigates a challenging phase of economic recovery following a crushing crisis two years ago.

While an announcement of the official voter turnout is awaited, the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections, a local election observer group, said it was likely to be in the range of 75% to 80%. The last Presidential election in 2019 saw a record voter turnout of 83.72%.

The election assumes significance, for it is the first time citizens had a say in determining the country’s leadership after a historic people’s uprising in 2022 forced former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and quit office, at the height of the crippling meltdown.

Departing from past Presidential polls that had two main candidates and one clear winner, this election was marked by a three-way contest. Senior politician and incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who replaced Mr. Gotabaya through a parliamentary vote in 2022, sought a mandate to continue his project of reviving the country’s battered economy. His main rivals from the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, ran on a plank of “change”, offering relief from the burden of the government’s ongoing, IMF-led reform programme.

‘Honest President’

Sarojini Kadirgamar (97) turned up early on Saturday (September 21, 2024) at the College House, a more-than-a-century-old building serving as the administrative block of the University of Colombo, in an upmarket neighbourhood in the capital city. “Today will be the last time I am called upon to do my civic duty. I am voting for an honest President who will end corruption, because all the mantras that put our economy right will count for nothing if we are not honest and corruption-free. We must respect the rule of law; there must be justice for all the citizens of this country,” she said.

In a reference to the lingering inequality felt by the country’s Tamil minority, Ms. Kadirgamar, who has seen every national election since Independence, said, “In other countries, an immigrant is allowed to be President. In this country, [you can’t] unless you are Sinhala Buddhist… even if you are a Tamil who has served this country well, it is not accepted. So, I want someone who will respect the rule of law and the Supreme Court and rule us justly and correctly, the Buddhist way.”

Eliminating corruption has been a running theme for voters ahead of this election. It takes off from a popular chant during the mass agitations of 2022, when citizens blamed the “corrupt” political establishment for their misery and demanded a “system change” so the country could course-correct.

Citizens contending with the enduring impact of the crisis are emphatic about the need for change at the country’ helm. The country’s economic woes have not ended, said Azar, a voter. “See the long lines of people waiting at the passport office [hoping to leave the country for jobs elsewhere] … it is clear that the problems are still there and there is no relief. We need a good leader to come and address our problems,” he said, outside a polling station in Maradana, a Colombo suburb.

The Election Commission of Sri Lanka said counting of postal votes began on Saturday (September 21, 2024) evening, and the final result would likely be out on Sunday (September 22, 2024). A candidate needs to secure 50% plus one vote to be declared the winner. If no candidate garners a majority, which is more likely in a three-cornered race, authorities will undertake a second round of counting, to determine the preferential votes secured by the top two candidates, and add it to their respective count.

In Sri Lanka’s preferential voting system, voters get to mark three candidates on the ballot indicating their order of preference. No election outcome in the past has warranted a second round of counting.

A police officer stands guard outside a polling booth, a day before the presidential election, in Colombo on September 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Over 17 million Sri Lankans will have a chance to elect their next President on Saturday (September 21, 2024) in a crucial election, the first to be held after the island nation’s economy crashed in 2022.

A good turnout is expected, in line with Sri Lanka’s record of high voter participation in every national election. The last presidential poll in 2019 saw a voter turnout of 83.72 %.

A total of 38 candidates are in the fray this election, Sri Lanka’s ninth to elect the country’s Executive President. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., across 13,421 polling centers onthe island, the Election Commission of Sri Lanka said.

Departing from past presidential elections where two main candidates dominated the contest, Sri Lanka is witnessing its first three-cornered race, in which incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa, and prominent opposition legislator Anura Kumara Dissanayake — have emerged top contenders vying for the country’s most powerful office. Sri Lanka follows a preferential voting system allowing voters to mark three preferences on the ballot. A candidate must secure 50 % plus one vote to be declared winner. In the event no candidate reaches the mark, which is more likely in a three-way contest, a second count of votes will be used to pick the winner, factoring in the preferential votes received by the top two candidates.  

As citizens’ economic concerns take centre stage in this election, the three main candidates have promised economic recovery and relief from hardships. They have pledged to take forward the ongoing International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme that is shaping the bankrupt country’s policies to restructure its foreign debt with a diverse group of external creditors.

Sri Lanka’s unprecedented crisis two years ago manifested in acute shortages of essentials and long lines for fuel and gas. While supplies have since been restored — at starkly higher prices owing to inflation — and fiscal indicators have improved, scores of families are struggling to make ends meet amid painful austerity measures.

Editorial | ​Back from the brink: On the Sri Lankan elections and the road ahead

Call for change

Two years after a mass uprising booted out President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the height of the crisis, and demanded system change, citizens are hoping that this election will yield “change”, through a leader who can break free from the “old, corrupt political culture”, and will reduce their everyday suffering.

Colombo-based autorickshaw driver I. Mohamed is clear about the kind of change he wants. “I am not talking about those big changes that some people ask. I want the cost of living to come down, I want to be able to afford good education for my children, I want my family to be able to eat three decent meals without worrying if we can afford it. That is all,” he says.

Weighed down by everyday strain amidst falling in real incomes and high living costs, many Sri Lankans have been forced to drastically alter their lifestyles. Poor families are eating fewer meals, or have changed their diet, cutting out animal protein, for instance.  In a report published in April this year, the World Bank pointed to an increase in food insecurity and malnutrition, a doubling of poverty and widening inequality in Sri Lanka since the crisis. Around 60 % of the households in the country are struggling to cope with a decline in income, it said.

How economy plays an important role in Sri Lankan election

How economy plays an important role in Sri Lankan election
| Video Credit:
The Hindu

In a widely shared pre-election social media post, senior lawyer and noted commentator Saliya Peiris underscored the need to focus on both economic development and governance. “The reality is that democracy and governance are tied with the sustainable economic development of the nation. Long-term economic stability is linked to the respect for democracy, the rule of the law, governance, and the rights of people,” he said, adding: “Those who fail to learn from the lessons of the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Published – September 20, 2024 07:04 pm IST