Who will be Sri Lanka’s next president?

Two years after an economic meltdown, Sri Lanka holds an election seen as a referendum on painful austerity measures that were imposed under a $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund


Ranil Wickremesinghe, 75 
Running as independent

Took office in July 2022 after widespread protests caused by financial crisis forced predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee Sri Lanka
 
Unpopular for undertaking austerity measures in exchange for IMF bailout, but hopes to gain support from his success in largely abating shortage of essentials and slowing inflation to single-digit percentage rate this year


Sajith Premadasa, 57 
Leader of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party
 
Sri Lanka’s opposition leader and son of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, wants to lower taxes from rate agreed with IMF to ease economic pain for households


Anura Kumara Dissanayake, 55 
Leader of Marxist-led coalition National People’s Power
 
Only major candidate who does not belong to established party, campaigns on platform to fight corruption and has vowed to reopen IMF negotiations
  

Namal Rajapaksa, 38 
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party

Nephew of deposed president and son of former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa. Running as scion of country’s most powerful political family in attempt to rebuild its brand with voters


Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, AP 
Pictures: Getty Images, Mevindu Moonasigha 
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