Colombo, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankans will vote on Saturday to election the South Asian nation’s 10th president in the first election since the catastrophic 2022 economic crisis that saw the country default on its loans.
Months of food and fuel shortages had caused political chaos forcing then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country in July 2022.
The incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over from Rajapaksa and has since tried to turn the economy around, is seeking re-election. He is being challenged by Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party and Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party.
Here is how the election will be held, what the top candidates are promising — and what’s at stake for the nation of 22 million people.
What time does the polling start in Sri Lanka?
Since then, under President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the South Asian island nation’s economy has begun a fragile recovery. As the country gears up for a crucial presidential vote, key economic indicators have improved and there are no shortages of food and fuel. Inflation is almost under control after peaking at 70%.
On Thursday, the government announced it has completed restructuring its debt. The finance ministry said it has reached agreements in principle on the restructuring of international sovereign bonds, the final step after previously restructuring loans from local and bilateral lenders.
Sri Lankans who usually vote along religious and ethnic lines will be keeping the state of the economy in mind when they vote Saturday on a new president. Many are still struggling, borrowing money or leaving the country to cope with rising living costs and limited opportunities.