Two years since Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Presidential Election victory
Today (September 21) marks two years since the presidential election that brought Anura Kumara Dissanayake to power, with the Sri Lankan President due to complete two years in office on September 23, 2026.
Dissanayake, leader of the National People’s Power (NPP), won the Presidential Election held on September 21, 2024. His victory was officially declared by the Election Commission on September 22, after a second round of preference counting was required for the first time in Sri Lanka’s presidential election history.
He was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s ninth Executive President on September 23, 2024.
In the first count, Dissanayake secured 5,634,915 votes, representing 42.31% of valid votes. As no candidate received more than 50%, additional preferences were counted between Dissanayake and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate Sajith Premadasa before Dissanayake was declared elected.
On September 24, 2024, President Dissanayake appointed Dr. Harini Amarasuriya as Prime Minister and dissolved Parliament, paving the way for a General Election. The dissolution of Parliament was formally announced through a Gazette notification issued on the same day.
The NPP subsequently secured a landslide victory at the General Election for the 10th Parliament, held on November 14, 2024.
The party received 6,863,186 votes, representing 61.56% of valid votes, and secured 159 seats in the 225-member Parliament. This included 141 district-level seats and 18 National List seats, giving the NPP more than the two-thirds majority required for 150 seats.
The result also gave the NPP the highest vote share recorded by a single party at a Sri Lankan parliamentary election under the proportional representation system, while its 159-seat total was also a record under that system.
Meanwhile, the NPP has organised a series of public rallies across the country under the theme “People’s Rule – Two Years Strong, Progress for All” to mark two years since it came to power.
President Dissanayake has been addressing the rallies, highlighting the government’s work during the past two years and outlining its plans for the coming years.
