Who is leftist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lanka's newly elected president
Anura Kumara Dissanayake has emerged as Sri Lanka’s newly elected president, securing 42% of the vote in the country's first election since the 2022 economic collapse. The 55-year-old leader of the National People’s Power (NPP) coalition defeated his main rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who garnered 23% of the vote, while outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe trailed in third. The election witnessed a high voter turnout, with 76% of Sri Lanka’s 17.1 million electorate participating in what is seen as a crucial vote for the country's future.
From Student Activist to Political Leader
Born in Thambuttegama, around 100 kilometers from Colombo, on November 24, 1968, Dissanayake’s political career began during his student days in the late 1980s. He joined the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a Marxist political party that led an armed uprising between 1987 and 1989, protesting against the then-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, by 1998.
Dissanayake first entered Parliament in 2004, running from the Kurunegala district, and was later appointed a Cabinet Minister in the Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga-led coalition government. By 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, a remarkable turnaround in his political journey.
