Marxist-leaning politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president early Monday morning after being declared the winner of Saturday’s election. The ceremony took place at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
In his inaugural speech, Dissanayake acknowledged the complexity of the challenges facing the nation and pledged to work diligently to restore public confidence in political leadership. “I will do my best to fully restore the people’s confidence in politicians,” he stated, adding, “I am not a conjurer or a magician. There are things I know and things I don’t know, but I will seek the best advice and do my best. For that, I need the support of everyone.”
The 55-year-old leader of the People’s Liberation Front (JVP) and the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance secured the presidency with 42.31 percent of the vote, promising to tackle corruption and revitalize Sri Lankan politics.
This election marks a significant moment in the nation’s political landscape, coming on the heels of mass protests that forced former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign amid a severe economic crisis in 2022.
While the situation has stabilized with support from the International Monetary Fund, the strict austerity measures implemented in response to the crisis have caused considerable hardship for many citizens. Voters expressed their discontent by rejecting Ranil Wickremesinghe, who succeeded Rajapaksa, at the ballot box.
Historically, the JVP was involved in two major insurrections in the 1970s and 1980s, resulting in over 80,000 deaths before the party renounced violence. Dissanayake himself was a student leader during the second uprising and has shared personal stories of survival from government-backed death squads targeting party activists.
Though the JVP has traditionally been a minor player in Sri Lankan politics garnering less than four percent of the vote in the last parliamentary elections in 2020 Dissanayake has gained popularity and softened some of the party’s policies. He now advocates for an open economy and shows a nuanced stance towards privatization, while still counting revolutionary figures like Che Guevara among his heroes.
