a significant challenge for Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the recently elected president

On Thursday, Sri Lanka will hold a crucial parliamentary election

INN/Colambo, @Infodeaofficial

Thursday’s important parliamentary election in Sri Lanka will be a major litmus test for recently elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In addition to putting Mr. Dissanayake’s plan for systemic change to the test, tomorrow’s vote might also demonstrate the public’s ongoing desire to move away from the established power brokers who have controlled Sri Lankan politics for many years.

The fate of 8800 candidates seeking admission to the 225-member Parliament will be determined by the 17 million voters. Since many seasoned politicians chose not to run in these elections, several of the candidates are first-timers.

In an attempt to gain the majority he needs for his reform agenda, President Dissanayake, popularly known as AKD, called this emergency election to take advantage of his recent surge in popularity. While some analysts predict that his party may encounter difficulties in minority communities, others speculate that the NPP may benefit from his base of support from the presidential election, in which he received 42% of the vote.

Dissanayake’s triumph in September, buoyed by anti-corruption sentiment, has made him a symbol of change for many people who have lost faith in the long-standing political establishment. After winning just three seats in the 2020 elections, the National People’s Power coalition is now looking for a big boost to carry out reforms that were promised to reduce corruption and improve working-class conditions. Furthermore, the opposition has argued that its members would be better equipped to manage parliamentary issues because Mr. Dissanayake’s three-member administration lacks experience in governance.

The New Democratic Front, backed by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, led by Sajith Premadasa, are the NPP’s principal rivals. The general atmosphere is depressed compared to the presidential election, when a personality-centric discourse predominated.

Voters are still thinking about Sri Lanka’s persistent economic problems, which included sharp increases in the cost of food and petrol following a $2.9 billion IMF loan. Dissanayake has pledged to renegotiate the IMF rules in order to loosen austerity, even though former President Wickremesinghe is renowned for stabilising the economy. Following an IMF team’s visit to Sri Lanka earlier this month, the government pledged to carry on with the IMF program.

Opposition parties have had to reorganise and bounce back from their loss just weeks after a national election, but they have still tried to engage the electorate. The Rajapaksa family and former President Ranil Wickremasinghe are among the prominent figures who have chosen not to run in this election, making this vote noteworthy as well. Nonetheless, at a time when the island’s main parties, including the United National Party, Sri Lanka Freedom Party, and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, have been pushed to the outside of politics, the election serves as a litmus test for both the ruling party and the opposition parties.