Sri Lanka to witness 3-cornered contest in today's Presidential poll

Sri Lanka will elect a new President today. The country is likely to witness a three-cornered contest between Ranil Wickremesinghe, Dullas Alahapperuma and Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa has withdrawn his candidature from the race.

In the 225-member Parliament, whichever candidate secures the highest votes polled will be president for the remaining term of the current presidency till November 2024. Ideally, 113 of 225 would be the mark, but the process is more complicated if no clear winner emerges.

In a secret ballot, it becomes very interesting to see who the party MPs will vote for, especially at



a time when the protesting students and trade unions have warned of watching the outcome to decide their next course of action.

Presidential election was forced on the country following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He first flew to Maldives and then to Singapore after tens of thousands of protesters stormed his official residence in the capital Colombo.

The worst economic crisis in Sri Lanka's history has prompted an acute shortage of essential items like fuel. Long queues at fuel stations in Sri Lanka is the new normal and prices fluctuate subject to availability.