Leader and the presidential candidate of National People’s Power, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, waves to supporters during a public rally in Dehiowita, Sri Lanka, Sept. 17, 2024. Photo: AP/Eranga Jayawardena.
The Venezuelan government, through its Foreign Affairs Ministry, congratulated the president-elect of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, for his victory as the candidate of the coalition of the National People’s Power Party (NPP).
In a statement, the foreign minister of Venezuela, Yván Gil, on behalf of President Maduro and the Venezuelan government, expressed his congratulations to Kumara Dissanayake, who with 5,740,179 valid votes was elected as the new president of Sri Lanka.
“From Venezuela, we send our congratulations to the president-elect and his people, reaffirming our desire to advance in relations of friendship and cooperation for mutual benefit,” wrote Foreign Minister Gil.
Kumara Dissanayake received 42% of the total votes cast. Sajith Premadasa received 33%, and the current president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, received 17%, according to the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.
The Marxist leader will replace Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was elected in 2022 following the civil unrest caused by a devastating economic crisis that led to the dismissal of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a leader accused of mismanagement and corruption.
The results came after a second count of votes for Dissanayake and Premadasa, who were the front-runners. Under Sri Lankan rules, voters indicate their first, second, and third preferences for the presidency. If, when votes are being counted, no candidate has obtained more than 50% of the vote, a process is carried out using the second- and third-place votes to determine the winner. These elections marked the first time that this process was required since the current electoral system was instituted in 1982.
According to his campaign manifesto, Dissanayake pledges to create a balanced economy in the country that will enable continuous development and a stable growth rate so that discrepancies in income distribution can be minimized and benefits distributed fairly.
(Últimas Noticias) by José David Delgado with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
