Sri Lanka to hold disputed presidential elections in September

The Election Commission of Sri Lanka announced the date on Friday, July 26, with nominations to be accepted starting August 15.

This election comes at a crucial time for Sri Lanka, which has faced considerable political and economic turmoil in recent years. The last direct presidential election was held in 2019, resulting in a landslide victory for Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

However, Rajapaksa's tenure was cut short in 2022 amid mass protests and an economic crisis, leading to his resignation and the appointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe as president.

“This election comes after a long period of political and economic upheaval,” Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernadez said, reporting from the capital, Colombo. “The country is going through a huge economic crisis with people unable to afford basic essentials like food, medicine and fuel.”

President Wickremesinghe, who assumed office in July 2022, is seeking re-election as an independent candidate. He faces stiff competition from prominent figures such as opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and National People's Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Other notable candidates include former army commander Sarath Fonseka and Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.

Almost 17 million of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people are eligible to vote in an election which will be conducted using a limited ranked voting system, where voters can express up to three preferences.

If no candidate secures over 50% of the votes in the first count, the second and third preferences will be distributed until a candidate achieves a majority.

The political climate leading up to the election has been tense, with various attempts to postpone the election being quashed by the Supreme Court. The court emphasised the constitutional requirement to hold the election within a specified timeframe.