For the first time, Sri Lanka goes to 2nd preference count in presidential elections Colombo

Colombo, Sep 22: Sri Lanka’s Election Commission Chairman, R.L.A.M. Ratnayake, announced on Sunday that a second preference count will be conducted as no candidate secured the required number of votes in the presidential election, according to local media reports.

This marks the first time in Sri Lankan history that second-preference votes will be counted to determine the President. Following this process, the candidate with the most votes will be declared the winner. Under the Presidential Elections Act of 1981, a candidate must secure at least 50 per cent of the votes to win the election, Daily Mirror reported.

Since no candidate achieved this threshold, the votes for the top two candidates — Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa — will undergo a second preference count, the Election Commission confirmed. During a press conference, the election commission declared that Dissanayake and Premadasa were the remaining candidates, with all others being eliminated. The ballots of the eliminated candidates will now be reviewed to determine if secondary or third preferential votes were cast for the two leading candidates. Early results indicated that Anura Kumara Dissanayake, 55, leader of the National People’s Power (NPP), could become the country’s first leftist head of state.

In light of the election results, the government has declared Monday, September 23, 2024, a special public holiday, according to Pradeep Yasarathne, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs.

The much-anticipated election, the first after the island nation’s worst-ever economic crisis, saw a total of 39 candidates in the fray with incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party and Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party being considered the front-runners to the election, the results of which will be keenly watched in the region.

Out of the total population of around 22 million, 17,140,350 Sri Lankans were eligible to exercise their franchise at this election. This included 1.2 million new voters. Polling took place on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 3,421 polling centres across the country.