The party of Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won a two-thirds majority in parliament, according to official election results released Friday, establishing a strong mandate for his economic recovery program. The Elections Commission said that Dissanayake’s National People’s Power Party won 159 of the 225 seats.

Donate to PBS News Hour now, while all gifts are matched! Increase your support for educated, in-depth, and trustworthy journalism. Donate now. Election results. Follow the 2024 live results. PBS News Live File Photo: Sri Lanka’s Presidential Election. By: Krishan Francis, Associated Press By: Bharatha Mallawarachi, Associated Press Sri Lanka’s new president with Marxist leanings secures two-thirds majority in parliament. November 15, 2024, 12:26 PM EST. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) The party of Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won a two-thirds majority in parliament, according to official election results released Friday, establishing a strong mandate for his economic recovery program. The Elections Commission said that Dissanayake’s National People’s Power Party won 159 of the 225 seats. READ MORE: Anura Kumara Dissanayake is elected President of Sri Lanka.Dissanayake was elected president on September 21, rejecting the established political parties that have governed the island nation since its independence from British rule in 1948. He won just 42% of the votes, raising concerns about his party’s chances in Thursday’s legislative elections. However, little than two months into his leadership, the party’s support increased significantly. In a huge surprise and shift in the country’s political landscape, his party won the Jaffna district, the hub of ethnic Tamils in the north, as well as several other minority strongholds.

The triumph in Jaffna is a significant setback for traditional ethnic Tamil parties, which have dominated northern politics since independence. It also marks a significant shift in Tamils’ attitudes toward majority ethnic Sinhalese politicians. Ethnic Tamil rebels fought an unsuccessful civil war between 1983 and 2009 to establish a separate country, claiming they were marginalized by Sinhalese-controlled administrations.

We fully recognized the significance of this triumph. “The people have placed enormous trust in us, and we must maintain that trust,” he stated. According to Veeragathy Thanabalasingham, a political analyst based in Colombo, northern voters selected the NPP because they were dissatisfied with traditional Tamil parties but unable to identify a local alternative. “The Tamil parties were divided and contested separately, and as a result the Tamil people’s representation is scattered,” the politician explained.

We completely grasped the significance of this victory. “The people have placed enormous trust in us, and we must maintain that trust,” he told me. According to Veeragathy Thanabalasingham, a political analyst based in Colombo, northern supporters chose the NPP because they were unsatisfied with traditional Tamil parties but couldn’t find a local alternative. “The Tamil parties were divided and contested separately, and as a result the Tamil people’s representation is scattered,” the elected official added.

The administration also reduced taxes in 2019, depleting the treasury just before the virus struck. Foreign exchange reserves fell, leaving Sri Lanka unable to pay for imports or protect its currency, the rupee. Sri Lanka’s economic upheaval triggered a political crisis, forcing then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign in 2022. Parliament then elected Wickremesinghe to succeed him.

Wickremesinghe steadied the economy, reduced inflation, strengthened the currency, and raised foreign reserves. Nonetheless, he lost the election as public unhappiness mounted with the government’s efforts to collect money by hiking power costs and imposing substantial new income taxes on professionals and businesses in order to meet IMF criteria. Voters were particularly lured to the NPP’s call for a change in political culture and an end to corruption, believing that the parties that had previously ruled Sri Lanka were to blame for the country’s economic disaster.

Dissanayake’s commitment to pursue members of former governments accused of corruption and recover allegedly stolen assets sparked widespread hope. Jeewantha Balasuriya, 42, a trader from Gampaha, expressed hope that Dissanayake and his party will use their landslide victory to rebuild the country. “The people gave them a strong mandate. “I am hopeful that the NPP will use this mandate to lift the country out of its current sorry state,” he remarked.

Dissanayake’s commitment to pursue members of former governments accused of corruption and recover allegedly stolen assets sparked widespread hope. Jeewantha Balasuriya, 42, a trader from Gampaha, expressed hope that Dissanayake and his party will use their landslide victory to rebuild the country. “The people gave them a strong mandate. “I am hopeful that the NPP will use this mandate to lift the country out of its current sorry state,” he remarked.