Sri Lanka will hold presidential elections on Sept. 21, a government notice said on Friday, setting the date for a crucial vote expected to determine the future of reforms in the South Asian nation weathering its worst financial crisis in decades.
According to Sri Lanka’s electoral commission, nominations for the election have to be submitted on Aug. 15, with incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe becoming the first candidate to do so by paying a non-refundable deposit to the election commission.
Incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe became the first to register his candidacy on Friday.
Wickremesinghe, 75, took office in July 2022 after widespread protests caused by the debilitating financial crisis forced his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and later resign.
Parliament elected Wickremesinghe to serve out the rest of Rajapaksa’s five-year term, which began in 2019.
This election comes after a long period of political and economic upheaval.
Almost 17 million of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people are eligible to vote in the forthcoming election.
