Sri Lankans will cast ballots in a snap parliamentary election on Thursday, months after electing a Marxist-leaning president in the Indian island nation’s first election since the 2022 economic meltdown and political crisis.The election was called by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who won the September election after blaming the country’s traditional ruling elite for the economic collapse that led to the country defaulting on its loans.
Dissanayake’s National People’s Power (NPP) alliance has just three seats in the outgoing parliament, but opinion polls give the bloc an edge over parties that have ruled the island nation since its independence in 1948.
Here’s a look at the significance of the elections and how they could affect Dissanayake’s political vision for the country of 22 million.
What time does the election start in Sri Lanka?
Polls open between 7am (01:30 GMT) and 4pm (10:30 GMT) local time.
How do parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka work?
An independent body called the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL) oversees the election.
There are 225 seats in the unicameral parliament, and all of them are up for grabs this election. All members are elected for a five-year term. But 29 out of 225 seats are decided indirectly through a national list.
Each party or independent group contesting the election submits a list of candidates for the national list. The number of national list candidates for each party is chosen based on the number of votes they win.
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