Sri Lanka: Dates Announced for Presidential Election, Nominations to be Accepted on August 15

Colombo: Sri Lanka is set to hold its presidential election on September 21 this year, according to an announcement by the Independent Election Commission. This announcement puts an end to months of speculation that the election might be postponed to extend President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s term. Today, Government Gazette No. 2394/51 was issued, stating that, according to Article 31(3) of the Constitution, the presidential election will take place on September 21, and nominations will be accepted on August 15.

With this announcement of the election, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s remaining term is coming to an end. He had resigned from his position in 2022. In the 2019 presidential election, Rajapaksa was elected president with a record 7 million votes. At the beginning of 2022, thousands of people demanded his resignation due to his failure to address the economic crisis.

Rajapaksa Fled the Country

In July 2022, Rajapaksa had to flee the country, after which the then-ranil Wickremesinghe was elected through Parliament as Rajapaksa’s successor. Wickremesinghe attempted to address the country’s economic crisis by leveraging bailout assistance from the IMF. During this time, India also assisted Sri Lanka in overcoming its economic difficulties. India provided Sri Lanka with a $4 billion lifeline in the first quarter of 2022, which was used to pay for the import of food and essential goods.

By mid-April, Sri Lanka had refused to repay its debts. A year later, the IMF received the first installment of approximately $3 billion, which was to be extended over four years. However, the current President Ranil Wickremesinghe remains committed to implementing reforms to bring Sri Lanka out of economic distress. He is hoping to return to power as president once again.