Sri Lanka announces first presidential vote since unrest

According to the election commission of Sri Lanka, the first presidential elections since an unprecedented economic crisis spurred widespread unrest will be held in September.

The election will be the first test of the public mood since the height of the 2022 downturn, which caused months of food, fuel and medicine shortages across the island nation.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, aged 75, who took office after street protests forced his predecessor to flee the country, has strongly hinted he plans to run.

The five-week campaign announced by the commission will conclude with a September 21 vote in a country still struggling with a fragile economic recovery and endemic discontent over the cost of living issues.

More than 17 million Sri Lankans over the age of 18 are eligible to cast a ballot.

The election commission has allocated $33 million (10 billion rupees) for this year’s presidential poll.