Sri Lanka elects Marxist leader Dissanayaka as president

COLOMBO/ISLAMABAD: Sri Lanka’s Marxist president-elect on Sunday invited his compatriots to help him “rewrite” history in the cash-strapped island nation after winning a vote coloured by discontent over an unprecedented financial crisis.

Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, the 55-year-old leader of the People´s Liberation Front, was declared the winner of the weekend’s poll with nearly 1.3 million more votes than his nearest rival.

The once-fringe leader, whose party won less than four percent of the vote in parliamentary elections four years ago, saw a surge of support as the economic meltdown forced widespread hardships upon Sri Lankans.

“The dream we have nurtured for centuries is finally coming true,” he said in a statement shortly after the announcement.

“This victory belongs to all of us,” he added. “Millions of eyes filled with hope and expectation push us forward, and together, we stand ready to rewrite Sri Lankan history.”

Dissanayaka will be sworn in on Monday morning at the colonial-era President Secretariat in Colombo, election commission officials said.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari extended heartfelt felicitations on electoral victory of Sri Lankan President-elect, Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

In his congratulatory message, the president stated that Pakistan greatly valued its ties with the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka as both countries enjoyed excellent cooperation in various areas of mutual interest.

The president hoped that bilateral relations between the two countries would further strengthen under his leadership.