Anura Kumara Dissanayake takes oath as Sri Lanka's president
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning politician with no political lineage, took oath as Sri Lanka's president on Monday, a day after he won a comprehensive victory in the debt-ridden South Asian country's presidential election.
Despite lacking the political family connections of some of his competitors, Dissanayake's platform of leftist, anti-poverty policies, and his vow to tackle corruption resonated with voters. This contributed to his victory in Sunday's election.
Dissanayake's party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), holds only three seats in parliament. However, the 55-year-old leader gained significant support by promising strong anti-corruption measures and expanded welfare programs.
Popularly referred to as 'AKD,' Dissanayake garnered 1.27 million more votes than his closest contender, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. The current president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, finished in third place.
Premadasa, son of the late President Ranasinghe Premadasa, who was assassinated while in office, came in second. Wickremesinghe, meanwhile, is the nephew of former president and prime minister J.R. Jayewardene. Additionally, Namal Rajapaksa, son of two-time president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was among the 38 candidates running for the presidency.
'There are those who believe that family power can win elections, but on September 21, people's power will defeat family power, financial power, media influence, and state power' Dissanayake declared ahead of the election.
Coming from a modest farming family in Thambuttegama, in the southern part of the country, and holding a degree in physical sciences, Dissanayake positioned himself as the candidate of change. During his campaign, he promised to dissolve parliament within approximately 45 days of taking office, seeking a fresh mandate through general elections to implement his policies.
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