Sri Lanka set to vote Today in first polls since 2022 crisis; Voting to begin at 7am

Colombo: As Sri Lanka continues its recovery from the devastating 2022 economic crisis, the people of the island nation, who have endured the impact of strict austerity measures, are set to vote within the primary elections since the crisis. Significantly, economic concerns are expected to dominate the agenda. The crisis, which resulted in severe shortages of food and fuel, compelled Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the USA of a in 2022. Rajapaksa’s economic strategies, compounded by the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, are believed to have triggered the island nation’s most severe economic collapse.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has served as prime minister six times, stepped in as intervening time president in July 2022 after Rajapaksa became ousted. He's now aiming to secure another term in place of business. He faces challenges from Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna birthday celebration (JVP) and Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya birthday celebration (SJB).

Sri Lankans are set to cast their votes on Saturday to elect the Tenth president of the South Asian nation, marking the primary election since the economic crisis. In accordance with the report in Al Jazeera, voting will take place at thirteen,134 polling stations in Sri Lanka, starting place at 7 am (local time) and shutting at four pm (local time). Counting votes is predicted to initiate up at 9:30 pm (local time).

A total of 38 candidates are competing for the pinnacle executive place of business in Sri Lanka. To initiate with, 39 candidates were within the race, but self sufficient candidate Idroos Mohamed Ilyas passed away from a heart attack in August. Interestingly, though Ranil Wickremesinghe has long been related to the centre-right United National Birthday celebration (UNP), he is contesting for the presidency as an self sufficient candidate after the birthday celebration nominated a distinct contender for the position.

Wickremesinghe has been campaigning along with his slogan “Puluwan Sri Lanka” or “Sri Lanka Can”, while weighing on the plank that he pulled the USA of a out of an economic crisis. In accordance with Al Jazeera report, a few economic indices of the Sri Lankan economy have improved, with inflation cutting back dramatically, and the gross domestic product (GDP) showing healthy growth, Wickremesinghe, nonetheless, has been facing criticisms by opponents for belonging to the very same political elite it be blamed for the 2022 economic crisis,

As a substitute of the incumbent president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the Marxist birthday celebration, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), has soared in popularity after the 2022 crisis. The fifty five-year-old played an active role within the protest movement and has been critical of a USD 2.9 billion bailout deal Sri Lanka struck with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), claiming that it has increased the value of living for Sri Lankans,  news agency ANI reported.

Sajith Premadasa is another prominent contender within the race. He established the populist Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) after parting ways with Wickremesinghe’s UNP. The son of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, he currently serves as the leader of the opposition in Sri Lanka’s parliament.

(With ANI Inputs)