Sri Lanka Election Results LIVE: Anura Kumara Dissanayake Set To Be Next Sri Lankan President | N18G

Sri Lanka Election Results LIVE: Anura Kumara Dissanayake Set To Be Next Sri Lankan President | N18G
The Election Commission of Sri Lanka on Sunday (September 22, 2024) ordered a second preference count after no candidate secured over 50% of the votes needed to win the presidential election, in line with the Presidential Elections Act of 1981.
Elections Commission Chairman R.L.A.M. Ratnayake said that Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa have secured maximum votes in the 2024 presidential election. However, he said that as neither has secured more than 50% vote, the second preference vote will be counted and added to these two candidates.
As the counting progressed, Anura Kumara Dissanayake is leading with more than 5.6 million votes securing 43.93 % of the votes while Sajith Premadasa is following closely with 4.3 million votes, securing 33. 98% of the votes.
According to experts, Dissanayake, leader of the Marxist JVP's broader front, the National People's Power (NPP) is likely to secure more than 7 million votes, comfortably crossing the 50% mark.
Experts had earlier suggested that the second count may favour Premadasa, as those who voted for incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe are likely to have selected him as their second choice.
Saturday's election is significant for Sri Lanka as the first election since mass protests led to the ousting of former leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022, following the country’s worst economic crisis.
After the first round of counting of votes, Election Commission Chairman RMAL Rathnayake said that Marxist leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa have secured maximum votes in the presidential election.

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