President's Marxist Party Wins Sri Lanka's Parliamentary Elections in a landslide

(CLO) The party of new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist, won a two-thirds majority of seats in Sri Lanka's parliamentary election, according to official election results on November 15.

According to the Election Commission, Mr Dissanayake's National People's Power Party (NPP) won 159 of the 225 seats. Meanwhile, the United People's Power Party of opposition leader Sajith Premadasa won only 40 seats and came in second place.

Mr Dissanayake only came to power after winning the Sri Lankan presidential election in late September. People hoped that this Marxist politician would help the country overcome the crisis. Mr Dissanayake then dissolved parliament to hold early elections for the legislature.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake speaks in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 14. Photo: AP

The election comes at a time when Sri Lanka is in the process of pulling itself out of a severe economic crisis, even having to declare bankruptcy due to foreign debt default in 2022.

An NPP victory would allow Mr Dissanayake to carry out comprehensive reforms, including the new constitution he promised during his presidential campaign, without having to rely on other parties.

Northern voters chose the NPP out of frustration with traditional Tamil political parties in the country, said Colombo-based political analyst Veeragathy Thanabalasingham.

Voters were also attracted to the NPP's calls for a change in political culture and an end to corruption, as they blamed previous ruling parties in Sri Lanka for the economic collapse.

Mr Dissanayake's promise to punish former government officials accused of corruption and recover stolen assets also brought much hope to the people.

Jeewantha Balasuriya, 42, a businessman from Gampaha town, said he hoped Mr Dissanayake and the NPP would use their landslide victory to rebuild the country.

“The people have given them a strong mandate. I hope the NPP will use this mandate to bring the country out of its current dire situation,” he said.

He expressed confidence that President Dissanayake and the NPP would curb corruption and mismanagement and establish law and order, which he said were crucial to economic recovery.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/dang-cua-tong-thong-theo-chu-nghia-marx-thang-ap-dao-bau-cu-quoc-hoi-sri-lanka-post321617.html