Millions
of Sri Lankans were casting their votes on Saturday to select a president who
will face the task of bolstering the South Asian country's fragile economic
recovery following its worst financial crisis in decades.
More than 17
million of Sri Lanka's 22 million people are eligible to vote in an election
that has shaped up to be a close contest between President Ranil Wickremesinghe,
main opposition leader Sajith
Premadasa and Marxist-leaning challenger Anura Kumara
Dissanayake, who led in one recent opinion poll.
Citizens in
the capital Colombo lined up early at polling booths, which were guarded by
security personnel, as voting began at 7 a.m. (0130 GMT). It was proceeding
peacefully across the island nation, according to local media.
Polls close
at 4 p.m. (1030 GMT), with counting scheduled to start shortly afterward. The
Election Commission is expected to announce the winner on Sunday.
Over 13,000
polling stations were set up across the country and 250,000 public officials
deployed to manage the election, R.M.L. Rathnayake, the head of Sri Lanka's
election commission, told Reuters.
This is the
first election since Sri Lanka's economy buckled in 2022 under a severe foreign
exchange shortage, leaving the Indian Ocean island nation unable to pay for
imports of essentials including fuel, medicine and cooking gas.
Thousands of
protesters marched in Colombo in 2022 and occupied the president's office and
residence, forcing then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee and later resign.
Buttressed
by a $2.9 billion bailout programme from the International Monetary Fund, Sri
Lanka's economy has posted a tentative
recovery but the high cost of living remains a core issue for
many voters.
Although
inflation cooled to 0.5% last month from a crisis high of 70%, and the economy
is forecast to grow in 2024 for the first time in three years, millions remain
mired in poverty and debt, with many pinning hopes of a better future on their
next leader.
Whoever wins
the election will have to ensure Sri Lanka sticks with the IMF programme until
2027 to get its economy on a stable growth path, reassure markets, attract
investors and help a quarter of its people climb out of crisis-caused poverty.
"Your
decision at the polls today will shape the future of our nation, not just for
the next five years, but for generations to come," Foreign Minister Ali
Sabry posted on X in support of Wickremesinghe. "Use your vote wisely so
Sri Lanka can continue its recovery and move forward towards a sustainable and prosperous
future."
Sri Lanka's
ranked voting system allows voters to cast three preferential
votes for their chosen candidates.
If no
candidate wins 50% in the first count, there is a second round between the two
frontrunners, with the preferential votes of other candidates redistributed, an
outcome analysts say is likely given the close nature of the election.