Colombo: The upcoming presidential elections in Sri Lanka on September 21 are considered very important. This election will decide the future of the country struggling to recover from the economic crisis of 2022. Due to the economic crisis, massive protests were seen in the country and former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had to flee the country. He later resigned. The election is also being seen as a referendum on the two-year tenure of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. In these two years, the pace of improvement in the country's economy has been very slow. Wickremesinghe is facing a tough challenge from the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament as well as the leader of a powerful coalition. This coalition is strengthening its hold among young voters. 

People are unhappy

Sri Lanka has a population of about 2.2 crores, out of which 1.7 crores are eligible to exercise their franchise. Talking about the candidates in this election, a total of 38 candidates are in the fray. Wickremesinghe's party 'United National Party' has become weak due to its split. In such a situation, he is contesting the election as an independent candidate. Although people are unhappy with Wickremesinghe due to the harsh steps taken in exchange for getting aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), including the increase in taxes, he is hopeful of victory due to the success in reducing the crisis of essential commodities like fuel, cooking gas, medicines and food to a great extent. 

Anura Kumara is becoming popular among the youth

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the Marxist-led coalition 'National People's Power', is becoming a big challenge for Wickremesinghe, as he is becoming very popular among the youth fed up with corruption. The youth believe that corruption is the main reason for the economic crisis. Apart from this, he is also getting the support of those voters who participated in the protests demanding the resignation of then-President Rajapaksa in 2022. Political analysts believe that he is a strong contender. This is also because, unlike his rivals, he does not have ties with the business and political elite at whose behest the country's power is shaken.

Sajith Premadasa is also facing the challenge

Wickremesinghe is also facing a tough challenge from Sajith Premadasa, who is the leader of the party 'United People's Power', which was formed after breaking away from former President Wickremesinghe's party. Premadasa has promised in his manifesto that he will continue the IMF program, but has not talked about any change in it to reduce the burden on the poor. He has also said that he will make the minority Tamil community a shareholder in power. The Tamil community's population in the country is 11 percent. Based on these promises, Premadasa has gained the support of a strong Tamil political group. Namal Rajapaksa, the heir of the Rajapaksa family, which was once powerful in the country, is also contesting the elections. His candidature is also considered important because this election will decide how strong his family's hold is left in the country.