Anura Kumara Dissanayake, popularly known as AKD, has been sworn in as Sri Lanka’s next president after securing a majority ballot win against the incumbent president, Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The election offers Sri Lanka a chance to reconsider the direction of the reform program and correct some of its worst faults.
Contesting under the National People’s Power (NPP), Anura emerged as the winner in the presidential election in Sri Lanka held on Saturday 21, 2024, in an announcement by the Election Commission.
Dissanayake, whose pro-working class and anti-political elite campaigning made him popular among youth, secured victory over opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and incumbent liberal President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over the country two years ago after its economy hit bottom.
The 2024 Sri Lanka election becomes crucial as the country seeks to recover from the worst economic crisis in its history and the resulting political turmoil.
In his manifesto, the 55-year-old swore to renegotiate the IMF deal to make strict measures more bearable after Wickremesinghe, the outgoing president, warned that any move to alter the basics of the agreement could delay the release of nearly $3 billion that is crucial to maintaining stability.
Born in Thambuttegama, Colombo, on November 24, 1968, Dissanayake’s political career began during his student days in the late 1980s.
He joined the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVC), a Marxist political party that led an armed uprising between 1987 and 1989, protesting against the government’s “imperialist and capitalist” policies.
Dissanayake became a prominent student leader during this period and eventually joined JVP’s decision-making body, the politburo, in 1998.
He joined the Sri Lankan Parliament in 2004 and was appointed a Cabinet Minister in the Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga-led coalition government.
In 2014, he became the leader of the JVP, replacing Somawansa Amarasinghe.
His career also saw him rise to become Chief Opposition Whip after the 2015 general elections. Despite receiving only 3% of the vote in the 2019 presidential election, Dissanayake’s growing popularity has led him to victory in 2024.
His presidency will be closely watched as Sri Lankans hope for economic stabilization, political transparency, and an end to corruption. Dissanayake’s leadership promises to reshape the country’s political landscape as it emerges from the shadow of an economic crisis.