Anura Kumara Dissanayake, popularly known as AKD, of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), or People's Liberation Front, took his oath as Sri Lanka's new president on Monday.
This comes a day after the country's election commission announced that the leader of the National People's Power (NPP) alliance had won Saturday's elections — the first since mass protests broke out in 2022 amid economic turmoil.A day earlier, the country's election commission announced that the leader of the National People's Power (NPP) alliance had won Saturday's elections — the first since mass protests broke out in 2022 amid economic turmoil.
LeftThe people of Sri Lanka, fed up with the corrupt political elite that has brought the country to an economic meltdown as well as with the debt and austerity measures imposed by the IMF, have decided to vote for change and economic sovereignty. There's a long way for AKD to deliver on his promises, but his victory offers hope of a better future.
RightFirst and foremost, Dissanayake must realize that his victory by no means suggests a national endorsement of his alliance's Marxist manifest given that more than half of the country didn't vote for him. It's pressing that the new president acts at the best interest of the nation, managing a moderate campaign to deliver real change.