Sri Lanka’s parliament will choose between three presidential candidates on Wednesday, hoping the new leader can lead the island out of its worst economic and political crisis since independence in 1948.
A victory for incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe – one of two main contenders but opposed by many ordinary Sri Lankans – could lead to more demonstrations by people angry at the ruling elite after months of crippling shortages of fuel, food and medicine.
Ruling MP Dallas Alahaperuma, a former journalist, is more palatable to protesters and the opposition, but has no experience in governing at the highest level in a country with almost no import dollars and in desperate need of an IMF bailout.
Dallas Alahaperuma, presidential candidate of Sri Lanka. Photo: AP
The third candidate, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, leader of the left-wing Janata Vimukti Peramuna party, has only three seats in parliament and no realistic chance of winning.
Wickremesinghe, a six-time prime minister, became acting president last week after then-incumbent Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to Singapore as protesters took over his official residence and office – roaming the corridors, using his gym and swimming in his pool.
Protesters also burnt down Wickremesinghe’s private home and stormed his office, but failed to evict him. Wickremesinghe said this week that by the time he joined the current government as prime minister in May, the economy had already collapsed.
Sri Lankans blamed the Rajapaksa family – seven of the family were in government as of April – for the collapse. Their decisions to cut taxes and ban chemical fertilizers that damaged crops destroyed a debt-ridden economy that was badly exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was unclear how much support Wickremesinghe, 73, considered an ally of the Rajapaksa clan, and Alahaperuma, 63, have in the 225-seat parliament.
Wickremesinghe is backed by a section of the ruling party, which had a total of 145 seats at the last parliamentary election in 2020. Alahapperuma has the support of the other section, as well as the main opposition party, which won 54 seats last time.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, Acting President of Sri Lanka. Photo: Eranga Jayawardena/AP
The final numbers are not clear because some MPs became independent.
“Earlier Ranil Wickremesinghe was the favourite, but now the outcome is much more uncertain,” said political scientist Jayadeva Uyangoda.
“The balance of power in the parliament has shifted away from him. The outcome depends on how much power the Rajapakses have… over their own party members.
The Sri Lankan Parliament in 1993 unanimously elected DB Wijetunga to complete the term of assassinated President Ranasinghe Premadasa. This time, three candidates are in the fray to complete Rajapaksa’s term, which is due to end in 2024.
“This will be marked as a new experience in the parliamentary history of this country,” said a statement from Parliament’s communications chief outlining the proceedings.
A candidate who received more than a third of the actual votes cast is declared elected. If no candidate reaches the mark, the one with the fewest votes will be eliminated from the race and lawmakers’ preferences will be taken into account to ultimately arrive at a winner.
Whatever the process, the protesters are clear that they want Wickremesinghe gone. Wickremesinghe, for his part, imposed a state of emergency on Monday, giving him more power to crack down if he felt the need.
“We protest again Ranil. He is a corrupt man,” said Duminda Nagamuwa, who organized protests in Colombo after the nominations were finalised.
“If Ranil comes.” [into power] we cannot have stability.”
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