Sri Lankan leftist leader sworn in after landslide election win
Sep 23, 2024
COLOMBO - Sri Lanka’s first leftist president was sworn into office on Sept 23, vowing to restore public faith in politics after anger over the island nation’s unprecedented economic crisis propelled him to a landslide poll win.
Self-avowed Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayaka of the People’s Liberation Front (JVP) took his oath at the colonial-era Presidential Secretariat in Colombo after trouncing his nearest rivals in the Sept 21 vote.
The previously fringe politician – whose party led two failed uprisings that left tens of thousands dead – saw a surge of support after the country’s 2022 economic meltdown forced painful hardships on ordinary Sri Lankans.
Mr Dissanayaka, 55, was sworn in by the chief justice in a ceremony attended by lawmakers, members of the Buddhist clergy and the military who sang the national anthem after the ceremony.
“I will do my best to fully restore the people’s confidence in politicians,” he said after taking the oath.
“I am not a conjurer, I am not a magician,” he added. “There are things I know and things I don’t know, but I will seek the best advice and do my best. For that, I need the support of everyone.”
He succeeds outgoing president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took office at the peak of the financial crisis following the government’s first-ever foreign debt default and months of punishing food, fuel and medicine shortages.
Mr Wickremesinghe, 75, imposed steep tax hikes and other austerity measures per the terms of an International Monetary Fund bailout.
His policies ended the shortages and returned the economy to growth but left millions struggling to make ends meet.
“I can confidently say that I did my best to stabilise the country during one of its darkest periods,” he said in a statement after placing a distant third in the polls.
Shortly before the ceremony, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena resigned, clearing the way for Mr Dissanayaka to appoint his own cabinet.
Mr Dissanayaka’s party has said he wants to have his own cabinet until a fresh parliament is elected later this year. His JVP party has only three members in the 225-member parliament.
He has vowed to press ahead with the IMF rescue package negotiated by his predecessor last year but modify its terms in order to deliver tax cuts.
“It is a binding document, but there is a provision to renegotiate,” Bimal Ratnayake, a senior member of Dissanayaka’s party, told AFP.
Legacy of violence
Mr Dissanayaka’s party led two rebellions in the 1970s and 1980s that left more than 80,000 people dead before renouncing violence.
It had been a peripheral player in Sri Lankan politics in the decades since, winning less than four percent of the vote during the most recent parliamentary elections in 2020.
But Sri Lanka’s crisis proved an opportunity for Mr Dissanayaka, who saw his popularity rise after pledging to change the island’s “corrupt” political culture.
The 55-year-old labourer’s son was a JVP student leader during the second insurrection and has described how one of his teachers sheltered him to save him from government-backed death squads that killed party activists.
He counts famous Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara among his heroes.
Since his rise to popularity, he has softened some policies, saying he believes in an open economy and is not totally opposed to privatisation.
Mr Anura Kumara Dissanayaka of the JVP took his oath at the colonial-era Presidential Secretariat in Colombo after trouncing his nearest rivals. PHOTO: AFP
Sep 23, 2024
COLOMBO - Sri Lanka’s first leftist president was sworn into office on Sept 23, vowing to restore public faith in politics after anger over the island nation’s unprecedented economic crisis propelled him to a landslide poll win.
Self-avowed Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayaka of the People’s Liberation Front (JVP) took his oath at the colonial-era Presidential Secretariat in Colombo after trouncing his nearest rivals in the Sept 21 vote.
The previously fringe politician – whose party led two failed uprisings that left tens of thousands dead – saw a surge of support after the country’s 2022 economic meltdown forced painful hardships on ordinary Sri Lankans.
Mr Dissanayaka, 55, was sworn in by the chief justice in a ceremony attended by lawmakers, members of the Buddhist clergy and the military who sang the national anthem after the ceremony.
“I will do my best to fully restore the people’s confidence in politicians,” he said after taking the oath.
“I am not a conjurer, I am not a magician,” he added. “There are things I know and things I don’t know, but I will seek the best advice and do my best. For that, I need the support of everyone.”
He succeeds outgoing president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took office at the peak of the financial crisis following the government’s first-ever foreign debt default and months of punishing food, fuel and medicine shortages.
Mr Wickremesinghe, 75, imposed steep tax hikes and other austerity measures per the terms of an International Monetary Fund bailout.
His policies ended the shortages and returned the economy to growth but left millions struggling to make ends meet.
“I can confidently say that I did my best to stabilise the country during one of its darkest periods,” he said in a statement after placing a distant third in the polls.
Shortly before the ceremony, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena resigned, clearing the way for Mr Dissanayaka to appoint his own cabinet.
Mr Dissanayaka’s party has said he wants to have his own cabinet until a fresh parliament is elected later this year. His JVP party has only three members in the 225-member parliament.
He has vowed to press ahead with the IMF rescue package negotiated by his predecessor last year but modify its terms in order to deliver tax cuts.
“It is a binding document, but there is a provision to renegotiate,” Bimal Ratnayake, a senior member of Dissanayaka’s party, told AFP.
Legacy of violence
Mr Dissanayaka’s party led two rebellions in the 1970s and 1980s that left more than 80,000 people dead before renouncing violence.
It had been a peripheral player in Sri Lankan politics in the decades since, winning less than four percent of the vote during the most recent parliamentary elections in 2020.
But Sri Lanka’s crisis proved an opportunity for Mr Dissanayaka, who saw his popularity rise after pledging to change the island’s “corrupt” political culture.
The 55-year-old labourer’s son was a JVP student leader during the second insurrection and has described how one of his teachers sheltered him to save him from government-backed death squads that killed party activists.
He counts famous Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara among his heroes.
Since his rise to popularity, he has softened some policies, saying he believes in an open economy and is not totally opposed to privatisation.
AFP
Anura Kumara Dissanayake sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president
23 September 2024
He defeated opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and 36 other candidates in Saturday’s election.
Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s 10th president on Monday after an election that saw voters reject an old guard accused of leading the country into economic crisis.
Mr Dissanayake, 55, who ran as head of the Marxist-leaning National People’s Power coalition, defeated opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and 36 other candidates in Saturday’s election.
Mr Dissanayake received 5,740,179 votes, followed by Mr Premadasa with 4,530,902.
The election held on Saturday was crucial as the country seeks to recover from its worst economic crisis and resulting political upheaval.
He is the ninth person to hold Sri Lanka’s powerful executive presidency, created in 1978 when a new constitution expanded the office’s powers.
Mr Dissanayake’s coalition is led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), or People’s Liberation Front, a Marxist party that waged two unsuccessful armed insurrections in the 1970s and 1980s to capture power through socialist revolution.
Mr Dissanayake was first elected to parliament in 2000 and briefly held the portfolio of agriculture and irrigation minister under then-president Chandrika Kumaratunga.
He ran for president for the first time in 2019 and lost to Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was ousted over the economic crisis two years later.
That economic crisis resulted from excessive borrowing to fund projects that did not generate revenue, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the government’s insistence on using scarce foreign reserves to prop up its currency, the rupee.
September 23, 2024
Sri Lanka has a new president, after its first election since its economy collapsed in 2022 and protesters forced then-prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to resign.
55-year-old Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist politician, was elected as president on Sep. 22, 2024, beating opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and, for some reason, Wickremesinghe again.
Marxist party leader
Dissanayake has been described as "anti-establishment", a "leftist", and even a "Marxist".
According to the BBC, in 1997 he joined the central committee of the Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), a Marxist political party, and became its leader in 2008.
The JVP previously took part in armed violence against the Sri Lankan government from 1987 to 1989, which was marked by "raids" and "assassinations" and resulted in a death toll in the thousands.
However, Dissanayake has apologised for the violence caused by the group in a 2014 interview with the BBC.
The JVP has just three seats in parliament, but it remains a member of the National People's Power alliance, which Dissanayake now leads and propelled him to the presidency.
Promised action on corruption
Dissanayake, who won over 5.7 million votes, ran on a platform of anti-corruption and renegotiating the terms of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal to make its austerity conditions less harsh on the working population.
He also promised to cut taxes and expand welfare measures, which were imposed by the previous government to improve economic conditions after its collapse.
However, it appeared that the high cost of living and economic concerns weighed on the minds of voters, who blamed the previous government for their struggles.
Still, Dissanayake struck a rather moderate tone in his campaign, the BBC reported, promising to ensure repayment of Sri Lanka's debt and to work with the IMF in implementing changes.
In a Twitter (now X) post following his victory, Dissanayake called for unity among Muslims, Tamils, Sinhalese and all Sri Lankans.
He also acknowledged the congratulations from Narendra Modi, prime minister of India, Sri Lanka's giant neighbour.
Top image from Dissanayake's X account
Who is Anura Kumara Dissanayake? What you should know about Sri Lanka's new president
WION Web Team
ColomboEdited By: Vinod Janardhanan
Updated: Sep 23, 2024
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Sri Lankan president-elect Photograph:(X)
Story highlights
Anura Kumara Dissanayake has become the Sri Lankan president, in a surprise win that ended the decades-long monopoly of legacy parties in the island nation. His election marks a political pivot towards the Left in the country. His Marxist party JVP has promised a crackdown on corruption, lower taxes, and pro-poor reforms. Here is what you should know about the 55-year-old politician
Anura Kumara Dissanayake became the 10th president of Sri Lanka, after the first-ever election run-off of the South Asian nation on Sunday (Sep 22)
The leftist politician contested the election as part of the National People’s Power or NPP alliance. Dissanayake is the leader of the Janata Vimukti Peramuna or People's Liberation Front.
In the run-off, Dissanayake trounced his closest contender Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya.
The second round of counting - a first for the nation- had to be held as no candidate secured more than 50 per cent of the votes needed to be declared the winner.
Also read: Sri Lanka elects Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake as new president
The incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe was ousted in the first round itself, not having secured a position among the top two in the first round.
The elections held on Saturday were the first since the post-pandemic economic crisis and popular uprising. Dissanayake was one of the key leaders of that movement in 2022, which led to the ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had to flee the country at one point.
After his historic victory, Dissanayake said in a post on X, “This achievement is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you. Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory belongs to all of us."
"The unity of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and all Sri Lankans is the bedrock of this new beginning. The New Renaissance we seek will rise from this shared strength and vision. Let us join hands and shape this future together!" he added.
Who is Dissanayake?
Dissanayake is a 55-year-old Marxist leader. His party JVP played a key role in organising and drumming up support for the anti-government protests in the wake of a loan default and massive cost of living crisis as the Sri Lankan economy collapsed.
He made rousing speeches during the 2022 protests known in Sinhalese as 'Aragalaya' or struggle.
The protesters stormed the president's residence, eventually ending Rajapaksa's rule. Wickremesinghe was installed as a consensus president.
This is the first election in the country since those dramatic developments.
Also read: Sri Lanka polls: Presidential election pivotal to economic recovery
Having fought on a pro-poor platform, Dissanayake's party has promised to lower the taxes, crack down on corruption, and seek a greater role for the government in running the economy.
AKD for his supporters, Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Anura Kumara Dissanayake was born on 24 November 1968 in Thambuthegama village, Anuradhapura district, North Central Province.
Son of a labourer and a housewife, AKD joined JVP during his student politics days in 1987. He rose in party ranks, joining its politburo in 1995.
A lawmaker since 2000, Dissanayake was elected a Member of Parliament from the Colombo district.
He contested the presidential election in 2019 too.
He served as the agriculture minister from 2004 to 2005 and was the Opposition Whip from 2015 to 2018.
(With inputs from agencies)
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Sri Lankan president-elect Photograph:(X)
Story highlights
Anura Kumara Dissanayake has become the Sri Lankan president, in a surprise win that ended the decades-long monopoly of legacy parties in the island nation. His election marks a political pivot towards the Left in the country. His Marxist party JVP has promised a crackdown on corruption, lower taxes, and pro-poor reforms. Here is what you should know about the 55-year-old politician
Anura Kumara Dissanayake became the 10th president of Sri Lanka, after the first-ever election run-off of the South Asian nation on Sunday (Sep 22)
The leftist politician contested the election as part of the National People’s Power or NPP alliance. Dissanayake is the leader of the Janata Vimukti Peramuna or People's Liberation Front.
In the run-off, Dissanayake trounced his closest contender Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya.
The second round of counting - a first for the nation- had to be held as no candidate secured more than 50 per cent of the votes needed to be declared the winner.
Also read: Sri Lanka elects Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake as new president
The incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe was ousted in the first round itself, not having secured a position among the top two in the first round.
The elections held on Saturday were the first since the post-pandemic economic crisis and popular uprising. Dissanayake was one of the key leaders of that movement in 2022, which led to the ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had to flee the country at one point.
After his historic victory, Dissanayake said in a post on X, “This achievement is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you. Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory belongs to all of us."
"The unity of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and all Sri Lankans is the bedrock of this new beginning. The New Renaissance we seek will rise from this shared strength and vision. Let us join hands and shape this future together!" he added.
Who is Dissanayake?
Dissanayake is a 55-year-old Marxist leader. His party JVP played a key role in organising and drumming up support for the anti-government protests in the wake of a loan default and massive cost of living crisis as the Sri Lankan economy collapsed.
He made rousing speeches during the 2022 protests known in Sinhalese as 'Aragalaya' or struggle.
The protesters stormed the president's residence, eventually ending Rajapaksa's rule. Wickremesinghe was installed as a consensus president.
This is the first election in the country since those dramatic developments.
Also read: Sri Lanka polls: Presidential election pivotal to economic recovery
Having fought on a pro-poor platform, Dissanayake's party has promised to lower the taxes, crack down on corruption, and seek a greater role for the government in running the economy.
AKD for his supporters, Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Anura Kumara Dissanayake was born on 24 November 1968 in Thambuthegama village, Anuradhapura district, North Central Province.
Son of a labourer and a housewife, AKD joined JVP during his student politics days in 1987. He rose in party ranks, joining its politburo in 1995.
A lawmaker since 2000, Dissanayake was elected a Member of Parliament from the Colombo district.
He contested the presidential election in 2019 too.
He served as the agriculture minister from 2004 to 2005 and was the Opposition Whip from 2015 to 2018.
(With inputs from agencies)
After Economic Crisis, Sri Lanka Swears In Marxist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake
By Associated Press
September 23, 2024
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s president on Monday after an election that saw voters reject an old guard accused of leading the country into economic crisis.
Dissanayake, 55, who ran as head of the Marxist-leaning National People’s Power coalition, defeated opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and 36 other candidates in Saturday’s election.
Dissanayake received 5,740,179 votes, followed by Premadasa with 4,530,902.
In a brief speech, the new president pledged to work with others to take on the country’s challenges.
“We have deeply understood that we are going to get a challenging country,” Dissanayake said. “We don’t believe that a government, a single party or an individual would be able to resolve this deep crisis.”
Just before the swearing in, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena resigned, clearing the way for the new president to appoint a prime minister and a cabinet.
The election came as the country seeks to recover from its worst economic crisis and resulting political upheaval.
Read More: The Crisis in Sri Lanka Rekindles Debate Over Organic Farming
He’s the ninth person to hold Sri Lanka’s powerful executive presidency, created in 1978 when a new constitution expanded the office’s powers.
Dissanayake’s coalition is led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, or People’s Liberation Front, a Marxist party that waged two unsuccessful armed insurrections in the 1970s and 1980s to capture power through socialist revolution. After its defeat, the JVP entered democratic politics in 1994 and has been mostly in opposition since then. However, they have supported several previous presidents and been part of governments briefly.
The NPP also includes groups representing academics, civil society movements, artists, lawyers and students.
Dissanayake was first elected to Parliament in 2000 and briefly held the portfolio of agriculture and irrigation minister under then-President Chandrika Kumaratunga. He ran for president for the first time in 2019 and lost to Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Dissanayake’s first major challenge will be to act on his campaign promise to ease the crushing austerity measures imposed by his predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe under a relief agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
Wickremesinghe has warned that any move to alter the basics of the agreement could delay the release of a fourth tranche of nearly $3 billion.
That economic crisis resulted from excessive borrowing to fund projects that did not generate revenue, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government’s insistence on using scarce foreign reserves to prop up its currency, the rupee.
It led to shortages of essentials such as foods, medicines, cooking gas and fuel in 2022, triggering massive protests that forced then-president Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign.
Wickremesinghe, then prime minister, was elected by Parliament to fill the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake greets supporters at a Colombo polling station, Sept. 21, 2024.Buddhika Weerasinghe—Bloomberg/Getty Images
By Associated Press
September 23, 2024
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s president on Monday after an election that saw voters reject an old guard accused of leading the country into economic crisis.
Dissanayake, 55, who ran as head of the Marxist-leaning National People’s Power coalition, defeated opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and 36 other candidates in Saturday’s election.
Dissanayake received 5,740,179 votes, followed by Premadasa with 4,530,902.
In a brief speech, the new president pledged to work with others to take on the country’s challenges.
“We have deeply understood that we are going to get a challenging country,” Dissanayake said. “We don’t believe that a government, a single party or an individual would be able to resolve this deep crisis.”
Just before the swearing in, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena resigned, clearing the way for the new president to appoint a prime minister and a cabinet.
The election came as the country seeks to recover from its worst economic crisis and resulting political upheaval.
Read More: The Crisis in Sri Lanka Rekindles Debate Over Organic Farming
He’s the ninth person to hold Sri Lanka’s powerful executive presidency, created in 1978 when a new constitution expanded the office’s powers.
Dissanayake’s coalition is led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, or People’s Liberation Front, a Marxist party that waged two unsuccessful armed insurrections in the 1970s and 1980s to capture power through socialist revolution. After its defeat, the JVP entered democratic politics in 1994 and has been mostly in opposition since then. However, they have supported several previous presidents and been part of governments briefly.
The NPP also includes groups representing academics, civil society movements, artists, lawyers and students.
Dissanayake was first elected to Parliament in 2000 and briefly held the portfolio of agriculture and irrigation minister under then-President Chandrika Kumaratunga. He ran for president for the first time in 2019 and lost to Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Dissanayake’s first major challenge will be to act on his campaign promise to ease the crushing austerity measures imposed by his predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe under a relief agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
Wickremesinghe has warned that any move to alter the basics of the agreement could delay the release of a fourth tranche of nearly $3 billion.
That economic crisis resulted from excessive borrowing to fund projects that did not generate revenue, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the government’s insistence on using scarce foreign reserves to prop up its currency, the rupee.
It led to shortages of essentials such as foods, medicines, cooking gas and fuel in 2022, triggering massive protests that forced then-president Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign.
Wickremesinghe, then prime minister, was elected by Parliament to fill the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term.
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