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Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of Marxist-Leninist oriented Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party, won Sri Lanka's presidential elections on Saturday. He took 42.31% and 5,740,179 votes, beating opposition leader Sajith Premadasa who got 32.76% and 4,530,902 votes. The country's Election Commission declared him the winner today (September 22). Dissanayake has been a Member of Parliament from the Colombo District.
While he has ridden a wave of popular discontent over high taxes and austerity imposed due to a $2.9 billion IMF bailout agreement agreed to by outgoing president Ranil Wickremesinghe, he has stated that he will not scrap it. Instead, he says he plans to renegotiate certain terms to ease the economic burden on ordinary citizens while still adhering to the overall framework. Specifically, he aims to reduce income taxes that were doubled by the previous administration and cut sales taxes on essential items like food and medicines.
Other key campaign promises include:
Economic Reforms: He aims to address economic disparities and improve the living standards of the working class by implementing progressive economic policies.
Anti-Corruption Measures: Dissanayake has pledged to tackle corruption at all levels of government and ensure transparency and accountability.
Education and Healthcare: He promises to enhance the quality and accessibility of education and healthcare services for all citizens.
Environmental Protection: He has committed to implementing policies that protect the environment and promote sustainable development.
Social Justice: Dissanayake emphasizes the importance of social justice and aims to create a more equitable society.
These promises reflect his party’s Marxist-Leninist oriented ideology and focus on social justice and reform.
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