Marxist politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) was officially declared the President of Sri Lanka on 21 September 2024 when he took oath early on Monday morning in Colombo. Since his school days, Dissanayake has been affiliated with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and became its leader in 2014. He entered politics in 1987 when the Sri Lankan civil war petered to an end. Writing on the social media platform X, Kumara Dissanayake stated that his victory in the presidential elections “belonged to all Sri Lankans.”
Elections in Sri Lanka
These elections are the first to take place since 2022; when Sri Lanka became the first South Asian nation in three decades to default on its sovereign wealth. Mass protests forced former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to flee from office amid an economic collapse. As the top candidates failed to secure 50% of mandatory votes in the first round, it is the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that the presidential elections are decided by a second round of counting.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake Wins
Dissanayake, the leader of the People’s Liberation Front (JVP) and the National People’s Power alliance, won by 42.31% votes, while opposition leader Sajith Premadasa came second with 32.76% votes. Ranil Wickremesinghe—who secured office as president after the 2022 economic collapse—took a distant third place.
JVP is especially worth mentioning as the party has never come close to becoming a national power having never won more than 10 % of the national votes in previous presidential and parliamentary elections. It only lays claim to 4 % of votes in the parliamentary elections of 2022.
Similar to the sovereign default that took place in Greece in 2015, leading to the rise of the Left Syriza party and the Eurozone crisis which caused a brief emergence of the leftist Five Star Movement in Italy, the JVP also capitalized on the economic crisis of the country.
Mahinda Rajapaksa—former president of 2015—borrowed heavily from China, but his failure to repay the loan allowed China to build a port on the base of Hambantota. Defeated in 2015, the Rajapaksa Clan regained power when Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the presidential elections in 2019. But Gotabaya directed Sri Lanka into the abyss of default in April 2022.
The Political Trajectory of JVP
Aragalaya, a mass protest movement, forced Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa to flee the angry nation in 2022. The JVP played an active role in organizing protests and igniting people’s fury. The void in political power created by the resignation of the Rajapaksa brothers paved the path for Dissanayake and his party to amply their voices, attracting disillusioned people, and advocating for social justice. The party soon grew into a major political power.
JVP led two failed Marxist-inspired insurrections in the 1970s and 1980s. To overthrow what they observed as an imperialist and capitalist regime in 1988—JVP launched uprisings—which became the bloodiest period in the history of Sri Lanka. About 60,000 people were tortured and killed. In 2014, after coming to power, Dissanayake apologized for the party’s past crimes for the first and last time. The past still haunts the JVP and the country, as Sri Lankans haven’t forgotten the party’s terror either.
Dissanayake formed a coalition of JVP and 21 other political parties in the form of the National People’s Power (NPP). He moved away from a far leftist stance and stated support for a free market economy, though he still pursued Marxist policies in so areas.
The elections are the result of a severe economic crisis and political turmoil. Dissanayake has entered the office with a raft of promises to place the country on the path of economic development and to clean up the government. He identified corruption as a key driver of the state’s economic woes. He gained popularity by attacking the IMF policies, emphasizing that the terms need re-negotiation. Previous governments were accused by him, of abusing human rights resulting in situations such as the acute shortage of essential goods, electricity, and medicine, jeopardizing the rights of people to health, education, and standard life.
Challenges Facing the New President
The new president Anura Kumara Dissanayake will have to face critical challenges, the most important being the country’s failing economy, which has become a motive for political change in Sri Lanka.
Tourism and remittances sent home by citizens abroad were the two main income sources for Sri Lanka. These earnings were hit very badly by the COVID-19 pandemic, and finally, Sri Lanka defaulted in April 2022. Ranil Wickremesinghe as the interim president secured a bailout loan of $2.9 billion from the IMF, but this imposed severe austerity measures on Sri Lankans, straining their daily lives. Dissanayake has emerged as a beacon of hope. He promised to ease the impact of these measures on the country’s poorest while committing to continue the deal. He has urged cutting the income tax rates and removing the value-added tax (VAT) on food, health, and educational services. AKD hinted at renegotiating the terms of the IMF bailout program and has proposed revisiting the International Monetary Fund to assess the ability of a country to service its debt.
Sri Lanka is now on the path of a slow economic recovery and is expected to grow after two years. Dissanayake is well aware of the burden he has chosen, as he admitted, “I am not a magician-I am an ordinary citizen.”
His anti-elite campaigning has brought the populace in his favor, but his ideology may conflict with the interests of foreign lenders who have kept the economy afloat. Wickremesinghe has warned that any move to alter the agreement could delay the release of a fourth package.
Another important concern is how a change in the political system will shift the foreign policy of Sri Lanka. The strategic position of Sri Lanka places it at the crossroads of busy shipping routes that link Asia to Africa and Europe. China and India are struggling for influence in Sri Lanka. The economic crisis in Sri Lanka allowed India to exert its influence on this island that it had lost to China previously. Dissanayake is expected to pursue an India plus China approach.
Sri Lankan politics has always adopted an anti-India stance and tied with China. JVP is expected to pursue a moderate approach in its relations with both China and India. Xi Jinping congratulated the Marxist leader and hoped to work together. China is planning to coordinate with AKD under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Earlier this year, Dissanayake was invited by Modi and offered financial aid by India. A loan of $4 billion was awarded to Sri Lanka amid its economic crisis. Modi has shown great optimism about collaborating with the island to enhance multifaceted coordination.
New Delhi has longstanding demand for the implementation of the 13th amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution, which grants power to the Tamil minority, but Dissanayake has shown reluctance. Whilst India has made clear that it has significant geopolitical stakes in Sri Lankan affairs, the Island has also retaliated with a statement that its air, land, and space are not up for grabs. It has gone as far as opposing India’s Adani Group controlling its major sectors of ports and renewable energy.
Dissanayake has been known for his pro-China leanings in the past. However, since assuming power he has shown concerns regarding the lack of transparency in the implementation of Chinese projects in Sri Lanka.
Besides economic and foreign policy concerns, how Anura Kumara handles the Tamils of Sri Lanka—the largest ethnic minority group of the state—remains uncertain. The Tamil community has been demanding a political solution to its grievances. It is only a matter of time before we can see how plans for negotiations will be implemented.
The arrival of the AKD is the beginning of a “radical new path.” His call for unity amid ethnic divisions, fighting corruption, and reviving the economy resonates deeply in the crisis-hit nation.
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Eman Fatima is currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Government College University Lahore. She has a keen interest in understanding the complexities of global politics and the dynamics that shape international interactions.