Why in the News?

Left leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake of National People’s Power (NPP) Coalition is elected as new president of Sri Lanka. Mr. Dissanayake was declared as President by Election Commission of Sri Lanka after completed 2nd round of vote.

Political Journey

• In 1997, he was first appointed as national organizer of the Socialist Youth Organization, the youth wing of the JVP (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna).
• His first test in electoral politics came in the 1998 Central Provincial Council elections, where he contested as the Chief Ministerial candidate.
• In 2004 that Dissanayake rose to prominence, when he contested the parliamentary elections from Kurunegala district.
• In January 2014, Dissanayake ascended to the JVP leadership.
• In the 2024 presidential race, Dissanayake’s platform of reform resonated with voters who had grown weary of political patronage and dynastic rule.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake