Sri Lanka Set for Crucial Presidential Poll Amid Economic Crisis

Sri Lanka is set to hold its presidential election on September 21, as announced by the election commission, marking the first such election since the country's economic collapse in 2022. Major candidates include incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.

Sri Lanka will hold its presidential election on September 21, the election commission announced on Friday, quelling months-long speculation over this decisive poll. The election will shape the future of economic reforms in the cash-strapped nation.

This marks the first presidential election since Sri Lanka plunged into economic bankruptcy in 2022. According to the government gazette, nominations will be accepted on August 15.

The formal announcement comes amid concerns from opposition parties that the election might be postponed. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who stepped in after former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted in a popular uprising, has undertaken the challenging task of reviving the bankrupt economy with an IMF bailout, despite facing unpopularity due to stringent reforms.

Wickremesinghe, 75, is expected to run for re-election. Other key candidates include Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, Marxist JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.

(With inputs from agencies.)