Anura Kumara Dissanayake: Who is Sri Lanka’s new left-wing president?

Dissanayake’s victory represents a significant political shift in Sri Lanka which is still grappling with an economic fallout

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the National People's Power (NPP) party, greets people as he leaves the election commission after claiming victory in the presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 22 September 2024 (REUTERS)

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a 55-year-old leftist politician known for his pro-working class stance, has been elected Sri Lanka’s next president in the country’s first election since the economic collapse of 2022.

The chief of the National People’s Power coalition, a left-wing political party, secured 42 per cent of the vote, according to unofficial results. The election marks the first presidential contest since widespread protests in 2022 which ousted previous leader, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, amid the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa followed with 32 per cent of the vote, while incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe trailed at 17 per cent.

“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,” Mr Dissanayake said in a post on X.

Mr Dissanayake’s victory represents a significant political shift in Sri Lanka. Born in 1968 in Galewela in central Sri Lanka, Mr Dissanayake’s early years were shaped by the country’s turbulent political landscape. He entered politics as a university student during the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement of 1987, a period that triggered one of the bloodiest insurgencies in Sri Lanka’s history.

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a Marxist political party Mr Dissanayake would eventually lead, played a central role in the armed revolt between 1987 and 1989.

In his campaign, he emphasised the need for change, casting himself as the candidate who could break with Sri Lanka’s traditional political elite.

He has been vocal about addressing the unfulfilled promises of past leaders, including launching an investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. Bombs went off at churches and international hotels across capital Colombo on 21 April 2019, killing 290 people, including 45 foreigners. Many have accused the previous Rajapaksa government of obstructing inquiries into the attacks.

He promised to give the country a clean start with the promise to dissolve parliament after coming to power, impose tougher anti-corruption measures and appealed to the working class by pledging to roll back tax hikes and welfare cuts imposed by the current administration.

Years of under-taxation, weak exports and major policy errors, combined with the Covid-19 pandemic, dried up the country’s foreign exchange reserves, plunging it into a historic crisis that it is still grapplig to overcome despite ousting the previous government.

In the last election, Mr Dissanayake scored only 3 per cent of the votes, but his popularity has grown exponentially, particularly among younger voters frustrated by the long-standing political dynasties.

However, he faces enormous challenges in his term as the country grapples with a severe economic crisis. Since 2022, Sri Lanka has been plagued by a shortage of essentials, including fuel, medicine, and food, leading to widespread protests and the eventual resignation of Rajapaksa.

The Indian Ocean nation declared bankruptcy in April 2022 with more than $83bn in debt, more than half of it to foreign creditors.

Mr Dissanayake’s Marxist-Leninist roots, shaped by his involvement in the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), add a layer of complexity as the nation navigates its relationship with international financial institutions like the IMF.

Sri Lanka turned to the IMF for help to rescue the economy and secured a bailout package last year. Under the current four-year bailout program, the IMF is to disburse $2.9bn in tranches after biannual reviews of whether the country is imposing needed economic reforms.

There are also concerns that his policies may impact Sri Lanka’s fiscal targets. Mr Wickremesinghe warned that any move to alter the basic agreement could delay the release of the fourth tranche of nearly $3bn needed for economic stability.

Mr Dissanayake has committed to continuing negotiations with the IMF, promising to seek changes that benefit the country without abandoning existing financial agreements.

His potential prime minister, Dr Harini Amarasuriya, addressed these concerns, stating: “We don’t have the experience in making the country bankrupt, but we will certainly gain experience in rebuilding it.”