File Image
Sri Lanka’s National People’s Power of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in historic moment swept the parliamentary elections by winning a two-thirds majority, and also dominating the Jaffna electoral district – the heartland of the nation’s Tamil minority.
According to PTI, The NPP coalition, which contested under the Malimawa (compass) symbol, secured 159 out of the 225 seats in the parliament, according to the latest results on the election commission website.
The NPP received over 6.8 million or 61 per cent of the votes counted, taking a commanding lead over its rivals.
As per AP report, The Samagi Jana Balawegaya, or United People’s Power Party, led by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa had 40 seats and was in second place.
The election comes at a decisive time for Sri Lankans, as the island nation is struggling to emerge from the worst economic crisis in its history, having declared bankruptcy after defaulting on its external debt in 2022.
The margin of victory will enable Dissanayake to carry out sweeping reforms, including a campaign promise of anew constitution, without having to rely on other parties.
