COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's coalition, the National People's Power (NPP), was set to win a majority in a snap general election, results from the Indian Ocean island's poll body showed on Friday.
Dissanayake, who won the presidential election in September, is seeking a mandate for his policies aimed at alleviating distress among the poor in a country struggling to emerge from a severe financial crisis.
Marxist-leaning Dissanayake's coalition had just three of parliament's 225 seats before Thursday's election, prompting him to dissolve it and seek a fresh mandate.
NPP won 52 seats, receiving almost 62% or 5.4 million votes in Thursday's election, putting them on course for a majority in the parliament, latest results on the Election Commission of Sri Lanka's website showed.
"We see this as a critical turning point for Sri Lanka. We expect a mandate to form a strong parliament, and we are confident the people will give us this mandate," Dissanayake said after casting his vote on Thursday.
"There is a change in Sri Lanka's political culture that started in September, which must continue."
Samagi Jana Balawegaya party of opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, the main challenger to Dissanayake's coalition, won 13 seats and about 19% of the votes polled. The New Democratic Front, backed by previous President Ranil Wickremesinghe, won two seats.
Just over 17 million Sri Lankans were eligible to elect lawmakers for a five-year term. A record 690 political parties and independent groups were contesting across 22 electoral districts.
A political outsider in a country dominated by family parties for decades, Dissanayake backs policies to fight poverty, such as bigger welfare measures, and graft.
Sri Lanka typically backs its president in general elections, especially if it is held soon after a presidential vote.
The president wields executive power but Dissanayake still requires a parliamentary majority to appoint a fully-fledged cabinet and deliver on key promises to cut taxes, support local businesses, and fight poverty.
He also has plans to abolish Sri Lanka's contentious executive presidency but requires a two-third majority in parliament to implement it.
A nation of 22 million, Sri Lanka was crushed by a 2022 economic crisis triggered by a severe shortage of foreign currency that pushed it into a sovereign default and caused its economy to shrink by 7.3% in 2022 and 2.3% last year.
Boosted by a $2.9 billion bailout programme from the International Monetary Fund, the economy has begun a tentative recovery, but the high cost of living is still a critical issue for many, especially the poor.