That conflict, between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan state, erupted in 1983. The Tigers eventually had vast areas under their control in their fight for an independent territory in the island's north and east, but were defeated and all but wiped out in a 2009 military offensive.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the left-wing leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), has won the 2024 Sri Lanka Presidential election. He defeated the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe and will be the island nation's ninth executive president,

Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s strong showing reveals voter weariness with leadership that has led to a national economic crisis and crushing hardship for many people.

Dissanayake, head of the once-fringe Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, has clinched Sri Lanka’s presidency, turning the page on decades of political struggle and marking a dramatic shift in the country’s power dynamics.

Sri Lanka's presidential election has progressed to a second round of counting for the first time, as no candidate reached the required 50 percent threshold. Anura Kumara Dissanayake leads with 42.31 percent,

Sri Lanka's Marxist-leaning leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has taken a commanding lead in the presidential election, winning approximately 53 per cent of the counted votes.

Sri Lanka's 2024 presidential election went into a second round of counting after no candidate secured over 50% of the vote. Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa are leading, while incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe was eliminated.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been elected as Sri Lanka's new president, becoming the first Marxist leader in the country's history. His win is seen as a referendum on economic reforms during a severe crisis.

“100 % sure.” That is what Anura Kumara Dissanayake, opposition legislator from Colombo, said days before the September 21 election, when a visiting journalist asked if he could win the presidential race. His calm confidence could have had only one basis — the certainty that he embodies the change Sri Lankans emphatically want.

By Uditha Jayasinghe and Sudipto Ganguly COLOMBO (Reuters) -Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa headed to a run-off for Sri Lanka's presidency on Sunday, the election body said,

Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake leads early official results in Sri Lanka's presidential election, according to tallies released on Sunday by the Election Commission, but he is still short of the 50% needed for victory.