New Delhi: Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD)’s party secured a majority in Parliament on Friday, achieving a strong mandate for his agenda to push ahead with reforms for reviving the economy and building a strong partnership with India.
Within hours of the election results, AKD met Indian envoy to Colombo Santosh Jha. Later, Jha wrote on X, “HC @santjha called on President & Leader of NPP @anuradisanayake to congratulate on NPP’s victory in Sri Lanka’s #ParliamentaryElections2024. As a fellow democracy, India welcomes the mandate & remains committed to further strengthening bilateral ties for the benefit of our peoples.”
Dissanayake has maintained close contacts with India even prior to becoming President of the island nation. The contacts have gained momentum since his election. Indian envoy to Sri Lanka has been meeting AKD and his team on a regular basis since the presidential elections.
India’s support is critical for keeping the Lankan economy on track, from tourism to the banking sector. Since 2022, India’s financial support was critical to bail out Lanka.
AKD’s National People’s Power coalition has won 159 seats in the 225-member Parliament. The coalition garnered a 62% share of the more than three-quarters of ballots counted so far, with opposition leader Sajith Premadasa‘s party trailing far behind with only 18% votes. Dissanayake’s party won the most votes in the Tamil-dominated district of Jaffna, for the first time since Independence from Britain in 1948.
