Chennai: Sri Lanka’s ninth Presidential elections held on Saturday, the first after the country plunged into an unprecedented economic crisis in 2002 leading to a regime change, was a peaceful affair with no major incidents being reported, as an estimated 75 per cent of voters exercised their democratic responsibility.
The process of counting postal ballots and votes began Saturday evening across the country immediately after the polling came to a close at 4 pm, with the first set of results of postal votes from Ratnapura district showing Anura Kumara Dissanayake leading the race.
The final results are expected by Sunday morning, but it could get delayed if no candidate secures 50 per cent of votes as mandated by the Constitution.
Though 38 candidates were in the fray, the contest narrowed down to incumbent Ranil Wickremasinghe, Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and Namal Rajapaksa of the Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP).
While Tamil-dominated Jaffna and Mullaitivu in northern Sri Lanka, one of the worst-affected areas due to the three-decade-old civil war, recorded the lowest turnout at 65 and 68 per cent respectively, the maximum turn out was recorded in Nuwara-Eliya and Gampaha with 80 per cent each.
Over 70 per cent turnout was recorded in districts like Hambantota, Kandy, Vavuniya, Polonnaruwa, Mannar, Trincomalee, Kilinochchi, and Anuradhapura. Chairman of Sri Lanka Election Commission R M A L Ratnayake was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror that no incidents of violence were reported during the voting period.
The Commission also said Saturday’s election was the “most peaceful poll exercise” ever conducted in Sri Lanka, even as the government announced a public holiday on Monday, in anticipation of the results. Sri Lanka Police appealed to the people to celebrate the results “peacefully” and not indulge in any violence, while security at the Bandaranaike International Airport outside capital Colombo was beefed up as a precautionary measure.
Saturday’s election assumes significance since it is the first time Sri Lankans came out of their homes to vote after a popular uprising in 2022 led the powerful Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign as President and Prime Minister, just three years after they won a landslide.
Opinion polls have placed Anura and Sajith as the frontrunners to clinch the Presidency, pushing Ranil to the third slot. If one goes by opinion polls, a run-off looks possible as no candidate might get 50 per cent votes, but nothing is certain unless ballot boxes are opened.
Economic issues dominate the minds of the voters, while other crucial issues like “equal rights” for Tamil-dominated provinces and a just solution for their decades-long problems take the back seat.
While Sajith and Ranil didn’t meet the media, Anura expressed the hope that the incumbent President will ensure a “smooth and peaceful” transition of power to his newly-elected successor.
"I am sure the President (Ranil) will transfer power in a democratic manner. I don’t think he will go against democracy. I believe he will transfer power and retire,” Anura said, indicating his victory, and Ranil’s loss.
Namal, the son of Mahinda, said he was under no obligation to leave the country as speculation mounted in this regard.
"We are not a political force that backs down in fear. If we had wanted to leave, we would have done so long ago. Despite any disasters the country has faced, we have never left. Meanwhile, many children of other politicians fled during difficult times, but we stayed," Namal said, according to Daily Mirror.
While Ranil’s economic reforms are appreciated widely, the lack of MPs and support base among the people, according to opinion polls, have pushed him to the third slot after Anura and Sajith, who are touted to be the frontrunners. Ranil is banking on support from the majority Sinhalas and the MPs from SLPP who owe allegiance to him, besides the minorities.
Tamils and Muslims would choose between Ranil and Sajith as Namal, whose family they feel was responsible for the last phase of the bloody civil war, and Anura, who hasn’t made any efforts to reconcile with them till the elections, are unlikely to be their choices.
Ethnic Tamil votes are likely to get split further with a coalition of Tamil political parties fielding Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran as the common candidate, exposing chinks within the largest minority community.