2024 Sri Lankan Presidential Election: Key Facts and Figures

The 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election is set for September 21, 2024. Voters will be choosing a new president who will serve a five-year term until 2029.

To run in the election, candidates must pay a deposit. For party candidates, the deposit is Rs. 50,000 (about US$170), while independent candidates need to pay Rs. 75,000 (around US$250).

Key Facts

This election is notable for several reasons:

• Incumbent President Runs as Independent: Current President Ranil Wickremesinghe is seeking re-election as an independent candidate, which is a departure from the trend of previous current officeholders who contested under major parties.
• Record Number of Applications: A total of 39 candidates applied to run in the election, the highest number ever for a Sri Lankan presidential race.
• Historic Three-Way Contest: For the first time in Sri Lankan history, the presidential election will feature a three-way race. The prominent candidates are President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power, a socialist alliance.
• High Voter Turnout Expected: Approximately 17 million people are eligible to cast their votes in this election.
• Withdrawals, Rejections, and a Passing: Five candidates initially expressed their intention to run but later withdrew from the race. One candidate who had paid the deposit failed to submit their nomination papers and was therefore rejected, while another candidate passed away.
• Gender: Even with a high number of candidates in this election, surprisingly, no female candidates are running.
• Unconventional Endorsements: This election was unique in that neither of the leading candidates received endorsements from the United National Party or the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
• Historic Second Vote Count: For the first time in Sri Lanka’s history, a second round of vote counting took place after the initial tally showed no candidate achieving a majority.
• Third-Party Victory: Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s win marked a significant milestone as he became the first third-party candidate to be elected president, indicating a notable political shift in Sri Lanka.
• Left-Wing Achievement: It also marked the first time a candidate from a left-wing party won the presidential election in Sri Lanka.
• Unprecedented Silence: For the first time, street celebrations—such as firecracker displays and sharing of milk rice—were noticeably absent following the election victory.

Prominent candidates

Major candidates

Minor candidates