Colombo: Sri Lanka will hold elections on September 21 to elect a new president. This election is taking place at a time when the island nation is facing an economic crisis. More than 17 million people are eligible to vote in the presidential election. A record 39 contenders filed nominations. However, one candidate died and 38 candidates are left in the race. While the last presidential election was a bipolar contest, this election will see a multi-cornered contest.

Who are the main faces in the presidential race in Sri Lanka?

Ranil Wickremesinghe

75-year-old Ranil Wickremesinghe is the current President of Sri Lanka. He took office in 2022 after then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country and resign following widespread protests due to a severe financial crisis. Wickremesinghe was then elected President and led the island nation through an unprecedented economic crisis. He brought in economic reforms and secured a relief package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Reforms in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has improved several key economic figures, including inflation which has come down to about 5 per cent from over 70 per cent two years ago. Interest rates have fallen and the island nation's foreign reserves have risen. As Al Jazeera put it, the election is being seen as a "referendum" on the current president's economic reforms. "We have to stabilise the economy. What we are saying is, 'Let's go ahead and get this job done.' So I am asking for your support," Wickremesinghe told reporters after filing his nomination last month. Wickremesinghe, the leader of the United National Party (UNP), is contesting the election as an independent candidate. He has the support of a large section of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party. 

Sajith Premadasa

Sajith Premadasa is the frontrunner in the presidential race. He is the current opposition leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). The son of former president Ranasinghe Premadasa, he has promised to curb corruption. "Right now, 22 million people of our country are suffering from inefficiency, incompetence, rampant corruption and the plunder of the public treasury," he reportedly said. According to The Week, his SJB has the support of the Tamil and Muslim minorities, who make up 11 percent and 9.7 percent of Sri Lanka's population, respectively.