Leftist Anura Kumara Dissanayake sworn in as 9th Sri Lankan President
By Arun Kumar Shrivastav
Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in on Monday as the ninth President of Sri Lanka in the first election since its economic collapse in 2022. marking a historic moment as the country’s first leftist head of state. The 55-year-old Dissanayake is the leader of the Marxist-leaning Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party.
The swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo was administered by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.
Dissanayake, the son of a labourer and the first from his alma mater to attend university, has led a political movement from 3% support to winning the 2024 Sri Lanka Presidential Election.
The result was finalized Sunday evening after Sri Lanka’s first-ever presidential run-off, as second preference votes were counted, following both Dissanayake and Samagi Jana Sandhanaya candidate Sajith Premadasa falling short of the required vote percentage.
“The dream we have nurtured for centuries is finally coming true. This achievement is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you. Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory belongs to all of us,” Dissanayake said in a post on X after the final result was announced by the Lankan Election Commission on Sunday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the newly appointed Sri Lankan President on X, who promptly replied to him. Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Santosh Jha was one of the first diplomats to meet him.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent a congratulatory message to President Dissanayake, emphasizing traditional relationship and cooperation. The key takeaway from the Sri Lanka Presidential election is the rejection of the 75-year-old incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and 38-year-old Namal Rajapaksa. Both represented the old breed of politicians seen responsible for corruption and the current economic stress.
While Namal himself is a young leader, he is the son of Mahinda Rajapaksa who has served Sri Lanka both as President and Prime Minister. The Rajapaksa family has had their grip on the country’s politics for most of the past two decades. Early Sunday morning when early trends showed Dissanayake winning and he facing a substantial defeat, Namal along with his wife and two children reportedly left the country for Dubai en route to the US.
The popular mandate for Dissanayake spilled on the streets as large crowds wearing red shirts and holding red flags took out victory marches in different parts of the island nation. Communist leaders in India shared the joy of the left victory.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau shared a statement, saying, “The Communist Party of India (Marxist) congratulates the people of Sri Lanka for voting decisively in the presidential elections held after their massive struggle, Aragalaya… We are confident that President Anura Dissanayake would lead the country on the path of socio-economic development, progress and welfare, ensuring the rights of the minorities. We wish him all the very best in his endeavour.”
As far as the interest of the Tamil minority is concerned, Dissanayake is unlikely to diverge from the policies followed by the successive governments in the past. A Sri Lanka watcher shared on X, “Sri Lanka’s new President is the leader of the chauvinist JVP (under coalition NNP) which despite rhetoric doesn’t recognize rights of Tamils and won’t investigate atrocities by Sri Lanka’s military. Leftism is just cover when it’s racist.” In a quick and significant development, Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Sampath Thuyacontha was appointed as the new Secretary of Defence. He was blacklisted by the Sri Lanka Air Force last year for supporting the National People’s Power (NPP).
Soon after being sworn in, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake began appointing officials. The first appointment letter was handed over to Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayaka, who has been appointed as the Secretary to the President.
The National People’s Power, known as Jathika Jana Balawegaya, is a socialist political alliance in Sri Lanka. Founded in 2019 by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, it comprises 28 political parties and various organizations. (IPA Service)