Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 23: Voting in Sri Lanka's first presidential election since a major economic crisis closed on Saturday, officials said.
Election officials said no serious incidents were reported. More than 60,000 police officers backed by security forces have been deployed while 250,000 officials were assisting in the election process. Turnout was expected to be between 75 to 80 percent.
Sri Lanka, an island state of some 22 million people, last held elections in November 2019, when it elected Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president. Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country and resign in July 2022 after tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest, angered by the country's economic collapse.
Incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe was then elected through parliament to succeed Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe is one of the three main contenders among 38 candidates running for the top post. The other two are the current parliamentary opposition leader, Sajith Premadasa, and Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party's Anura Kumara. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune