The Sept 21 vote will set the course for the island nation after its worst economic crisis since 1948.
COLOMBO - Sri Lanka’s presidential election in September is turning into a battleground between the political elite and a leftist outfit once notorious for armed rebellions, as candidates vie for the top job that entails overseeing an economy in need of an overhaul.
The Sept 21 vote will set the course for the island nation that is slowly recovering from its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. A historic debt default and inflation that hit 70 per cent led to street protests in 2022, which culminated in strongman leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa stepping down as he fled the country.
The lawyer-turned-politician will use his campaign to remind voters how he brokered a bailout with the IMF for a $3 billion loan and reinstated law and order. While he remains unpopular with Sri Lankans for raising taxes and rolling back energy subsidies, Mr Wickremesinghe is seen as an acceptable face globally.
Mr Namal is planning to focus on young voters, with their concerns over a lack of job prospects and high living costs. One of his solutions is to draw in investors and development projects, echoing a strategy used by his father and uncle, who drew closer to China for funds to rebuild Sri Lanka after the civil war.Mr Anura Kumara Dissanayake, 55
The JVP and its leaders have said they can carry out the demands of a nationwide protest movement in 2022 that forced the Rajapaksas to resign from government. The protesters wanted to curb the executive powers of the president, eradicate corruption, and bring the Rajapaksas to court.
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