Sri Lanka president gets backing from 92 lawmakers for re-election bid

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By Editor_1
Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe attends the country's 76th Independence Day celebrations in Colombo, Sri Lanka on February 4, 2024.  Wickremesinghe failed on Monday (July 29, 2024) to secure the backing of the biggest political party in Parliament for his re-election bid, posing a major challenge to his prospects in the Sept. 21 vote -Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters/File
By Uditha Jayasinghe

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe received backing from 92 lawmakers in the Parliament on Tuesday (July 30), his media office said, giving momentum to his re-election bid in a vote in September.

A day after Wickremesinghe, who holds only one seat in Parliament, failed to get official backing from Sri Lanka’s biggest political party, a significant number of lawmakers in the 225-member house flocked to back him.

“The decision to not support the president was made by a few people within the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). They will now have to answer for the party’s downfall,” State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe told reporters.

Wickremesinghe thanked the parliamentarians who have stepped up to support and said he was ready to welcome more.

“You understand the importance of putting aside party politics to unite as one,” he said on X.

Nearly 17 million of Sri Lanka’s 22 million population are eligible to cast ballots in the vote on Sept. 21 which is crucial to determine the future of reforms as Sri Lanka weathers g its worst financial crisis in decades.

Among multiple candidates, Wickremesinghe is seen as the most market- and reform-friendly option. He took over the top job in July 2022 as the economy crumbled under a severe financial crisis triggered by a record shortfall of foreign exchange reserves.

But with just one seat in Parliament, he needs the support of the SLPP, which holds a parliamentary majority and counts former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother as key members, to be a stronger contender.

Wickremesinghe will also be working to drum up support from minority parties in the coming weeks to bolster his chances.

Over the past two years Wickremesinghe has overseen a fragile economic recovery securing a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program that helped stem a fall in the rupee, tame runaway inflation and rebuild dollar reserves.

Sri Lanka’s economy is expected to grow 3% this year after contracting 2.3% in 2023.

-Reuters

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