Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a left-wing politician, is leading Sri Lanka’s presidential election.
Saturday’s elections are the first since mass protests ousted the country’s leader, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in 2022 after the country suffered its worst economic crisis.
Dissanayake promised voters tough measures against corruption and good governance — messages that resonate with voters who have been demanding systemic change since the crisis.
The latest results from Sunday morning showed Dissanayake winning 42% of the votes counted. A candidate needs 51% to be declared the winner.
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa is in second place with almost 32% of the vote. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is seeking a second term, has so far received 16%, while Namal Rajapaksa, the nephew of the deposed president, has received almost 3%.
If a candidate fails to secure 51% of the vote in the first round of counting, a second round is held to count voters’ second and third choices for president.
In all eight presidential elections in Sri Lanka since 1982, the winner has emerged in the first round of counting. The election has been described as one of the most exciting in the country’s history.
Seventeen million Sri Lankans were allowed to vote on Saturday, and the country’s election commission said it was the most peaceful in the country’s history. However, late Saturday night, police announced a curfew citing “public safety.” The curfew was extended until 12:00 local time (06:30 GMT).