Editor-DN
The election campaign ended at midnight on Wednesday, 48 hours before Election Day.
Sri Lankans are set to vote for a new president on Saturday in an election that will be key in deciding the future course of reforms in a country reeling from an unprecedented economic crisis.
More than 17 million Sri Lankans are eligible to vote for their next president, who will serve a five-year term.
Who are all the nominees?
Sri Lanka’s Election Panel has approved the nominations of 39 candidates, including incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe. One candidate later died. Among the frontrunners are National People’s Power Party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa from the Samagi Jana Balawagya Party.
How did the candidates campaign?
The incumbent President Mr. Wickramasinghe held his first rally in the historic city of Anuradhapura on August 17. This was the first of his nearly 100 rallies. His main rivals also staged around a dozen rallies.
The election campaign ended at midnight on Wednesday, 48 hours before Election Day.
What is the selection process?
Sri Lanka follows a first-past-the-post system, which allows voters to choose three candidates. A candidate who gets at least 50% or more of the total votes is declared the winner.
There is a statutory provision for a run-off between the two front-runners in the first round if no candidate receives 50% of the vote. Given the close race, Sri Lanka could see a second count for the first time in four decades since the voting system was introduced.
How will the votes be counted?
Sri Lankans will vote at thousands of polling stations amid tight security. Government employees will later count them under the supervision of Election Commission officials, election monitors and candidates’ representatives.
Voting will start at 7 am local time and end at 4 pm. After some time the countdown will start.
When will the results be announced?
The winner will be officially announced by the Election Commission, probably on Sunday. The swearing-in ceremony usually takes place on the same day.
