Sri Lankan president seeks party win in parliamentary election to help him push his economic reforms

abcnews.go.com:

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is looking to consolidate his party’s power in Thursday’s parliamentary election to help him implement his election pledges to solve the country’s economic woes and foster good governance

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is looking to consolidate his party's power in Thursday's parliamentary election to help him implement his election pledges to solve the country's economic woes and foster good governance.

The Marxist-leaning Dissanayake won the presidential election on Sept. 21 in a victory that marked a rejection of the traditional political parties that have governed the island nation since its independence from British rule in 1948.

However, Dissanayake's failure to secure more than 50% of the vote has fueled concerns over his party’s outlook in the parliamentary election. His National People's Power party must increase its votes significantly — from the 42% it won in the presidential election — if it is to secure a minimum of 113 seats to take control of the 225-member Parliament.

Dissanayake, while campaigning for his party's candidates, has called on voters to help elect them to Parliament so he won't need to rely on a coalition to enact the reforms he promised.

“A strong government should be formed to rebuild the country. A government that is unshakable in the Parliament should be established. And to do that, Parliament should be filled with elected members from our party," Dissanayake said to cheers at a rally on the final day of campaigning on Monday.

The election comes at a decisive time for Sri Lankans, as the island nation emerges from its worst economic crisis, having declared bankruptcy after defaulting on its external debt