Sri Lanka to vote in first poll since economic collapse
The Peninsula
Colombo: Cash strapped Sri Lanka will vote for its next president Saturday in an effective referendum on an unpopular International Monetary Fund aust...
Colombo: Cash-strapped Sri Lanka will vote for its next president Saturday in an effective referendum on an unpopular International Monetary Fund austerity plan enacted after the island nation's unprecedented financial crisis.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe urged voters to give him a fresh mandate to continue with austerity measures he says stabilised the economy and ended months of food, fuel and medicine shortages.
"We must continue with reforms to end bankruptcy," Wickremesinghe, 75, said at his final rally in Colombo on Wednesday night. "We must build a new economy."
He has restored calm to the streets after civil unrest spurred by the downturn in 2022 saw thousands storm the compound of his predecessor, who promptly fled the country.
"Decide if you want to go back to the period of terror, or progress", he added.
