The left-leaning alliance of Sri Lanka’s new leader has secured a landslide victory in the country’s snap parliamentary elections.
Official results show President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s National People’s Power (NPP) coalition scored a two-thirds majority in parliament, with 159 seats.
Dissanayake, who was elected in September, needed a clear majority to deliver his promise to combat corruption and restore stability after the island’s worst-ever economic crisis.
The high cost of living was one of the key issues for many voters.
Analysts had expected the NPP to do well in the elections but what remained to be determined was the margin of victory, and whether it would get the two-thirds majority it wanted to be able to pass its ambitious reforms.
In the outgoing assembly, Dissanayake’s Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party, which now leads the NPP, had just three seats.
The 55-year-old earlier told reporters that he believed this was “a crucial election that will mark a turning point in Sri Lanka”.
Sajith Premadasa, the man Dissanayake defeated in the presidential elections, led the opposition alliance.
Dissanayake called for snap elections shortly after he became president to seek a fresh mandate to pursue his policies. There was “no point continuing with a parliament that is not in line with what the people want”, he had said.
Nearly two-thirds of former MPs had chosen not to run for re-election, including prominent members of the former ruling Rajapaksa dynasty.
Out of the 225 seats in the parliament, 196 MPs were directly elected. The rest were nominated by parties based on the percentage of votes they get in what is known as proportional representation.
High inflation, food and fuel shortages precipitated a political crisis in 2022 which led to the ousting of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. His successor Ranil Wickremesinghe managed to negotiate a bailout package worth $3bn with the International Monetary Fund – but many Sri Lankans continue to feel economic hardship.
“We are still stuck with the problems we faced before. We still don’t have financial help even to fulfil our daily needs,” 26-year-old garment factory worker Manjula Devi, who works in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone near Colombo, told the BBC.
The number of people living below the poverty line in Sri Lanka has risen to 25.9% in the past four years. The World Bank expects the economy to grow by only 2.2% in 2024.
Disenchantment with established political players greatly helped the left-leaning Dissanayake during September’s election. His party has traditionally backed strong state intervention and lower taxes, and campaigned for leftist economic policies.
Dissanayake made history as Sri Lanka’s first president to be elected with less than 50% of the vote. Many observers think his alliance will do better this time.
How his alliance fares will be partly due to a fragmented opposition – with many leaders and parties breaking away into either smaller groups, or contesting as independent candidates.
Observers say the JVP-led alliance ran a more vibrant campaign than the opposition.
The coalition will now be under massive pressure to perform and live up to their campaign promises. Dissanayake has promised to repay the country’s debt, reform its political culture, and punish members of past administrations for corruption.
Sri Lanka’s economic situation remains precarious – and the main focus is still on providing essential goods and services. How the country progresses from this point will be a real challenge for the new government.