Sri Lanka's Presidential Poll: Western Province to Hold Most Voters

Sri Lanka's election commission announced that the western province districts will have the highest voter turnout for the upcoming presidential election on September 21. The voter register shows over 4 million of the 17,140,354 registered voters reside in the western province, with Gampaha district leading. The poll is significant after the country's economic bankruptcy in 2022.

Sri Lanka's election commission on Monday revealed that the western province districts will collectively have the highest number of voters for the upcoming presidential election scheduled for September 21.

The Elections Commission has released figures from the 2024 voters' register, indicating that three western province districts, including the capital Colombo, account for over 4 million of the 17,140,354 registered voters in the country.

The Gampaha district leads with 1,881,129 voters, followed by Colombo with 1,765,351 voters. In contrast, the northeastern Mullaitivu district has the fewest registered voters at 86,889.

This is the first election for Sri Lanka since its economic collapse in 2022, and the outcome could influence the nation's economic reforms. The election will be a landmark given its higher voter turnout history, with an average of 70% since the first poll in 1982. A candidate needs to secure at least 50% plus one vote of the total valid votes to win.

(With inputs from agencies.)