Key contenders in race to become Sri Lanka’s next president

COLOMBO - Sri Lanka’s presidential election in September is turning into a battleground between the political elite and a leftist outfit once notorious for armed rebellions, as candidates vie for the top job that entails overseeing an economy in need of an overhaul.

While the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe has made deals with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to bolster the nation’s recovery after a debt default, he is not guaranteed a victory as his austerity measures have made him deeply unpopular. A challenge from political heavyweights is not his only worry.

Mr Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a party that led insurgencies in the 1970s and 1980s and has since re-branded itself, has managed to draw some support with an anti-corruption platform.

The Sept 21 vote will set the course for the island nation that is slowly recovering from its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. A historic debt default and inflation that hit 70 per cent led to street protests in 2022, which culminated in strongman leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa stepping down as he fled the country.

Some opinion surveys are suggesting the possibility of the election going into a run-off, which will be a first since 1982. With nominations for the presidential race due on Aug 15, here’s a look at the main contenders who have declared they will make a run for the top job:

Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, 75

Mr Wickremesinghe is a survivor in Sri Lankan politics, with the deals he has made across party lines since the 1970s. He was voted into the presidency by the majority of lawmakers from the Rajapaksa clan’s party after Mr Gotabaya fled, earning him the nickname “Ranil Rajapaksa”. The protesters have accused him of protecting the dynasty from investigations in exchange for the executive presidency – allegations he has denied. 

For this election, he said he is contesting as an independent candidate to go beyond party politics. It belies a strained relationship with the Rajapaksas as Mr Wickremesinghe has drawn lawmakers away from their Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party (SLPP) and other parties. 

The lawyer-turned-politician will use his campaign to remind voters how he brokered a bailout with the IMF for a $3 billion (S$3.95 billion) loan and reinstated law and order. While he remains unpopular with Sri Lankans for raising taxes and rolling back energy subsidies, Mr Wickremesinghe is seen as an acceptable face globally.  

Mr Namal Rajapaksa, 38

Mr Namal is the political scion and eldest son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, who leads the clan and was widely credited with ending the decades-old civil war with Tamil separatists in 2009.

Local media said the Rajapaksa clan wanted to rebuild its brand with voters, particularly with Sinhalese farmers and in family strongholds in southern Sri Lanka, by getting the SLPP to endorse Mr Namal. The rugby-playing Mr Namal is no stranger to politics – he was sports minister in his uncle Gotabaya’s Cabinet before protesters forced them to resign.

In an interview with Bloomberg at the height of the crisis in 2022, Mr Namal sought to distance himself from his uncle’s controversial move to ban chemical fertilisers and promote organic farming. The decision led to widespread crop failures and fuelled inflation in the country.

Mr Namal is planning to focus on young voters, with their concerns over a lack of job prospects and high living costs. One of his solutions is to attract investors and development projects, echoing a strategy used by his father and uncle, who drew closer to China for funds to rebuild Sri Lanka after the civil war.

Mr Anura Kumara Dissanayake, 55

Mr Dissanayake, known in Sri Lanka as AKD, is the only major candidate who does not belong to a political family. He was active in student politics with the JVP during the 1987-89 uprising against the government, which was brutally suppressed by paramilitary forces. 

The party has shifted away from its anti-capitalist roots and briefly joined coalition governments, but the JVP leadership is untested as administrators. Mr Dissanayake became the JVP leader in 2014 and has incorporated civil society leaders and academics to appeal to a broader section of society.

The JVP and its leaders have said they can carry out the demands of a nationwide protest movement in 2022 that forced the Rajapaksas to resign from government. The protesters wanted to curb the executive powers of the president, eradicate corruption, and bring the Rajapaksas to court. 

Still, Mr Dissanayake is gaining popular support in Sri Lanka to the point that India and China have taken notice. New Delhi invited him for an official visit in February, where he had meetings with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Two months later, a Communist Party of China delegation visited Mr Dissanayake in his office to discuss politics.    

Mr Sajith Premadasa, 57

Mr Premadasa comes from a political dynasty in Sri Lanka, but one with a dark past, as his father, then President Ranasinghe Premadasa, was assassinated by a Tamil suicide bomber in the 1990s. The younger Premadasa joined Mr Wickremesinghe’s United National Party soon after, but eventually left in early 2020 to form his own party, which is now the main opposition group in Parliament. 

While Mr Premadasa has held Cabinet posts in various governments, including health and housing, the presidency has proved to be elusive.

In the 2019 race, he narrowly lost to Mr Gotabaya, who campaigned on being tougher on national security after the Easter bombing attacks. Mr Premadasa is neck and neck with Mr Dissanayake in some opinion polls in recent months. Like Mr Dissanayake, he wants to review the terms of the IMF bailout and reduce some taxes to alleviate rising living costs. BLOOMBERG