Calm streets, excitement in air as voting ends in tight Sri Lanka presidential race

This is Sri Lanka’s 1st presidential election since its 2022 economic crisis. A 2nd round of counting is likely, a first in Sri Lankan history. Results expected by Sunday noon.

Polling station in Colombo | Mahira Khan | ThePrint

Colombo: The Sri Lankan capital of Colombo is holding its breath to know who the 10th president of the nation will be, as voting for a highly unpredictable election concluded at 4 pm today. Streets are empty, shops are shut, and there is excitement in the air. 

Ballot counting officers dressed in white were seen streaming into counting centres, ready for a long night of counting, which began at around 6 pm. But at the moment, nobody, except the ballot committee, knows which way the wind blows. 

It appears that a second round of counting will be inevitable, a first in Sri Lankan history. Results are expected to be declared by Sunday noon. 

This is Sri Lanka’s first presidential election since its 2022 economic crisis, which plunged the nation into political chaos after a popular uprising ousted the then president and forced him to flee. But this presidential race is different—there are three frontrunners among 38 candidates, and there is no clear leader, even as polls come to a close. 

There is no tension on the street, even though Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles has told reporters that he is open to implementing a strict curfew if there is any sign of trouble.

Around 63,000 police personnel were deployed to provide protection during the election, which was conducted by 2 lakh officials.

The voters are hoping for peace, calm and, most importantly, change. 

“All the citizens of Sri Lanka are desperate for serious change with a fresh government and economic growth,” Colombo resident Aruni F. told ThePrint, as she came out of a polling station at the University of Colombo after casting her vote. “It all depends on who the people have voted for. I am expecting a calm environment after the results.” 

Calling it a vital election, she said she hoped people thought wisely and voted cautiously. 

A long night ahead

Unlike during previous presidential elections, the political landscape of Sri Lanka has totally changed since the 2022 crisis—which reflects on the ballot. 

Around 17 million voters have had to choose among 38 candidates. The ballot paper was so long that voters told ThePrint they had to fold the sheet of paper at least three to four times. 

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)—a Marxist party—is at the helm of the coalition National People’s Power, and anecdotally the most popular candidate. He is seen as the representative of the “system change” that the 2022 uprising demanded. 

Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, running as an independent candidate, represents continued stability after hauling the country onto the path of economic reform and negotiating a bailout package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s Sajith Premadasa, the leader of the Opposition, appears to be the third frontrunner. After narrowly losing the previous presidential election in 2019, he refused to form the government in 2022 on moral grounds, paving the way for Wickremesinghe to take over instead. 

“This must be the only time in my life where no one knows who is going to win,” Colombo resident Sudhaththa Ariyasena told ThePrint. “I support the current President’s economic process, so I am voting for him this time.”

Adding that the economy was in shambles in 2022, and remembering he had to pay exorbitant amounts for cheap daily goods, Ariyasena acknowledged that Sri Lanka is yet to come out of its economic strife. 

“I believe we have to go down this path—the economy is not in the best position at the moment, but we will have to practise economic restrictions and monetary discipline,” he said. “That is why, I am voting for President Ranil Wickremesinghe.” 

Several voters appear to have voted strategically. The presidential election was a complicated process, as the voters had to rank up to three candidates in order of preference on the ballot paper. 

If none of the candidates gets a clear majority, which looks like an inevitability, then votes will have to be counted in a second round. Everyone, except the top two candidates, will be eliminated, and the second preferences of voters who did not vote for the top two candidates are recorded and added to the top two’s tally. 

The presidential election came ahead of the parliamentary elections slated for 2025. 

Many say that it is like picking a captain of the team, with the team set to be elected in the parliamentary elections. However, Sri Lanka has an executive presidency that bestows huge powers on the president. 

And this time, the president elected by the people’s mandate will have a tough job ahead. He will have to keep the country on its path to economic recovery, manage the IMF’s 2023 bailout package, oversee geopolitical tensions in the region, and finally deliver the system change that the people demanded in 2022.

(Edited by Radifah Kabir)