Sep 23 (TM) There have been no cases of post-Poll electoral violence following the 2024 Prez Election, the Police and the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) confirmed. “Not a single case of violence has been reported,” the Police Media Spokesperson, DIG Nihal Thalduwa said yesterday in response to a query on violent incidents in the post-election context as election results were announced. “We do have some complaints of electoral crimes; however, these complaints are very minor.” more..

Sep 23 (EN) Sri Lanka’s eighth executive president Ranil Wickremesinghe has reflected on his role as a caretaker in a concession statement, and said he entrusts the beloved child of SL to Prez Anura Dissanayake. “I am aware that my place in history as the ruler of this country will be decided not today, but in future,” Wickremesinghe said. Wickremesinghe thanked all those who supported him during his tenure, more..

Sep 23 (FT) SJB leader Sajith Premadasa last night took to X to congratulate Anura Kumara Dissanayake on his election victory. Premadasa expressed optimism for SL’s future, stating: “As true Sri Lankans, our optimism will ultimately prevail. This election ignited a passion like never before, and together, we will channel that passion to build a stronger, more prosperous SL we all dream of.” He thanked his supporters, saying: “I’m humbled by your trust and I will continue to serve you,” more..

Sep 23 (Island) PAFFREL said that although the IGP’s post had been vacant since July, the police and the Election Commission had ensured an environment conducive for a free and fair presidential election. The country’s largest election monitoring body, in a statement issued soon after the conclusion of voting at the Sept. 21 presidential election, said that though there had been incidents in some parts of the country, they didn’t have a bearing on the polling. more..

Sep 23 (FT) By the time of writing this article on Sunday morning, it seemed that Sri Lankans have chosen the NPP Prez candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake, known as AKD, as their new Prez for the next five years. As expected, the supporters of the new Prez are celebrating the victory with over-jubilation in the social media due to the curfew imposed and later extended by the Govt of Ranil Wickremesinghe, introduced to voters as Ranil by Wickremesinghe himself. more..

Sep 23 (NW) NPP Presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s victory in SL’s Presidential Election has made headlines in international media, with many referring to him as a Marxist Leader. The CNN reported; “Sri Lankans elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as their new president on Sunday, putting faith in his pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following the South Asian nation’s worst financial crisis in decades.” more..

Sep 23 (AD) The Election Commission has gazetted the name of Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi to fill the vacancy created in parliament following the election of Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the 9th executive President of SL. Accordingly, Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi has been appointed to the Parliament as a Colombo District MP of the NPP. He was next on the preference list for the district in 2020 General Elections after Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Earlier today, Secretary General of Parliament more..

Sep 23 (FT) Japanese Ambassador to SL Mizukoshi Hideaki, expressed his heartfelt congratulations to Prez-elect Anura Kumara Dissanayake for his election as the new Prez of SL. In a statement he said Japan is looking forward to working closely with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake in furthering the friendly relationship between Japan and SL. “We would like to congratulate the people of SL on their active participation in Sri Lanka’s democratic process in electing their leader. more..

Sep 23 (CI) Sri Lanka didn't need long on the final morning in Galle to wrap things up, taking just 15 minutes to grab the final two New Zealand wickets and secure a 63-run win in the first Test. The result means SL go 1-0 up in the two-match series, while also leapfrogging New Zealand up to third place in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. Prabath Jayasuriya was at the forefront of SL's charge, finishing with figures more..

Sep 23 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who rose to the helm through a parliament vote two years back, has lost the presidential election for the third time in the Saturday poll after implementing two years of tough and unpopular economic reforms including tax hikes and state-owned enterprise restructuring. Wickremesinghe lost the 2020 parliament election, but became a legislator in 2021 through a solitary national list vacancy his party secured in the poll. more..

Sep 23 (AD) The Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake states that over 3.5 million citizens who are eligible to vote, have not casted their votes during 2024 Presidential Election. Ratnayake said that the figure is 21.54% of the population that are eligible to cast their vote. Furthermore, he clarified that out of 17,140,354 registered voters, a total of 13,619,916 have cast their votes in the Prez Election which is 79.46%, while 3,520,438 (21.54%) did not vote. more..

Sep 23 (AD) Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Sampath Thuyacontha has been appointed as the new Secretary of Defence. Thuyacontha joined the Sri Lanka Air Force on 17th of May 1988 to the 19th Intake as an Officer Cadet and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the General Duties Pilot Branch in the year 1990. After completion of training in the year 1990 he was deployed for flying duties as an operational pilot in Bell 212/412 helicopters. more..

Sep 23 (FT) All the noise from various parties has now faded, as Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) is set to be sworn in as SL’s 9th President, marking the change the public has long awaited. Personally, I’m not concerned with what others think; our responsibility remains to work for our children’s future, regardless of who is in power. Both Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa allowed rogue elements from Pohottuwa into their ranks, leading to their downfall, while more..

Sep 23 (FT) A high-level delegation from Mirai Consulting Group in Japan, recently visited SL to explore potential investment opportunities in various sectors. The delegation, led by Mirai Consulting Group COO Okada Atsushi met with the EDB CEO Dr. Kingsley Bernard at the EDB headquarters. The purpose of the visit was to identify industries that aligned with the investment interests of Japanese companies and to explore the potential for collaboration and partnerships in SL. more..

Sep 23 (ST) SL’s prez election garnered more than $48,000 in wagers on the global prediction platform Polymarket. The website allows people around the world to use cryptocurrency to bet on the outcome of events from elections to wars to sports events. Polymarket’s SL election market shifted quite frequently throughout election day but overall strongly favoured the odds of an Anura Kumara Dissanayake victory. Market opened more than a week ago & has been operational ever since. more..

Sep 23 (TM) Acuity Partners expects the net present value (NPV) loss for banks under the local option of the International Sovereign Bond (ISB) deal to be between 36-38% while having write-off possibility. Accordingly, listed commercial banks have made provisions of up to 50% for their ISB holdings and Acuity Partners expects that the NPV loss under the local option may be 36-38% (Sum of impact from new US dollar bond and floating rate rupee bond). “Therefore, we expect that LCB’s more..

Sep 23 (EN) Envoys from India and China in Sri Lanka were the first to meet newly-elected Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake even before he took office on Monday as the ninth leader of the country. Both India and China are in a geopolitical cold war in SL with Beijing having invested and lent billions of dollars to the island nation while India has been eying to win hearts of average Sri Lankans after bitter relations due to its role in the 26-year civil war. more..

Sep 23 (EN) The family of murdered journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge appealed on Tuesday to the island’s new president to reopen an investigation into the internationally-condemned assassination. The anti-establishment editor was murdered as he drove to work in January 2009 by attackers later identified by police as members of a military intelligence unit linked to the once-powerful Rajapaksa family. Saturday’s election of the country’s first leftist president, more..

Sep 23 (DH) As many as 37 fishermen from Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu were apprehended by the SL Navy over the weekend for allegedly entering its water by crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Demanding their immediate release, Chief Minister M K Stalin shot off a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday, flagging the levy of hefty fine on arrested fishermen by SL courts. The continued arrests of fishermen from TN by more..

Sep 23 (CI) In July last year SL began their World Test Champion cycle, and the start could barely have been more disheartening. In Galle, they ran into a Saud Shakeel double-hundred, losing by four wickets. At the SSC next up, they fell over meekly twice, though in one of those innings they had had to contend with some furious Naseem Shah reverse-swing. 14 months on, they are third on the WTC table, their 63-run victory in Galle more..

Sep 23 (EN) Nandika Sanath Kumanayake has been appointed Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka, shortly after Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as the country’s ninth executive president. Kumanayake worked at Sri Lanka Customs, where he was a integrity development advisor, a statement by the government information department said. He has a PhD in Development Economics and is a graduate of the Kelaniya University. With extensive experience in public service & admin, more..

Sep 23 (Island) Former Director Administration, Parliament Lacille de Silva said that the presidential election results proved that MPs switching allegiance in the run-up to national polls couldn’t influence the electorate the way political leaders anticipated. Had that been the case President Ranil Wickremesinghe wouldn’t have ended up third in the presidential race with less than 17.27 % of the total votes polled, the outspoken civil society activist said. The dissident SLPP parliamentary grouping, more..

Sep 23 (AD) Veteran Sri Lankan traditional dancer, choreographer and teacher, Deshamanya Dr. Vajira Chitrasena has passed away at the age of 92. Vajira and her husband Chitrasena are known for their close bond with India and for their contributions in strengthening the ties between the two countries in the field of arts. She made her debut as soloist in the role of Prakriti in the ballet Chandali in 1952. Her rise to stardom was coupled with unswerving discipline and dedication both as more..

Sep 23 (EN) PM Dinesh Gunawardena has resigned, after congratulating president elect Anura Dissanayake. “I hope that you as the Prez will be able to provide welfare to the people by continuing the work we have done to recover and lift the country and the countrymen from the difficult and challenging situation that SL has faced,” Gunawardena said in a statement. Statement in full: His Excellency the Prez, I respectfully offer my congratulations to you for being elected as more..

Sep 23 (TM) A meeting chaired by former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe with senior members of the UNP was held this evening. A senior UNPer said that it was decided that the UNP would invite the SJB to form a common platform to contest the upcoming Parliamentary election. The decision was reached, having taken into account the calls made by the public that the two groups re-unite in order to present a formidable front at more..

Sep 23 (AD) Director of the Planning Division of the National Institute of Education (NIE) in Maharagama, who was arrested by the CID over the Grade 5 scholarship exam question paper issue, has been ordered to be remanded until Oct 7. This order was issued after the arrested 57-year-old was produced before the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court. The suspect, who had also served as a member in the committee that had prepared the question paper of the Grade 5 Scholarship exam, more..

Sep 23 (AFP) Chinese Prez Xi Jinping on Monday said he hoped to broaden cooperation with Sri Lanka under his Belt and Road infrastructure initiative (BRI) as he congratulated the island nation’s new leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka. Dissanayaka, a self-avowed Marxist, took his oath at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday, vowing to restore public faith in politics. The country is emerging from a years-long economic collapse blamed partly on struggling high-debt Chinese mega-projects more..

Sep 23 (DW) Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka's president on Monday, vowing to change the island nation, which is emerging from its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades. Dissanayake, who ran as head of the Marxist-leaning NPP coalition, defeated opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and 36 other candidates in Saturday's vote. During his election campaign, Dissanayake challenged the more..

Sep 23 (AP) Marxist politician Anura Dissanayake won SL’s prez election over the weekend, dealing a blow to a political old guard that has been widely blamed for the unprecedented economic crisis that hit the South Asian island nation two years ago. Dissanayake, whose pro-working class populist campaign won him youth support, secured victory over opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, the runner up; and incumbent Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over the country two years ago more..

Sep 23 (AFP) SL’s first leftist president was sworn in to office Monday vowing to restore public faith in politics but said he had no magic solution to the hardships suffered following an unprecedented economic crisis. Self-avowed Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayaka of the JVP took his oath at the colonial-era Presidential Secretariat in Colombo after trouncing his nearest rivals in Saturday’s vote. The previously fringe politician, whose party led two failed uprisings in the island nation more..

Sep 24 (ST) On a dusty road from Monaragala to Siyambalanduwa in the Uva Province where scenes of extraordinary natural beauty contrast with the extreme poverty of the population, a man sitting idly by his small tea shop tells me a few days ago that, …these Presidents and Ministers in Colombo do not even know that we exist. We have lost everything. Now we do not care what happens to us, we only want to teach them a lesson. That quick burning anger, in a nutshell, will determine trajectory more..

Sep 24 (CT) As Sri Lanka welcomes its 9th Executive Prez, now is the time for all citizens — professionals and the general public alike — to unite in support of the newly elected leader and the govt. Regardless of political affiliations, personal views, or prior differences, every Sri Lankan must understand that the new Prez’s success is directly tied to the nation’s success. Creating unrest, distractions, or fostering division will only hinder progress in this critical moment of Sri Lanka’s history. more..

Sep 24 (TM) In the Prez Election held on 21 Sept, Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the NPP emerged victorious and was officially sworn in as the ninth Executive President of SL at the Prez Secretariat in Colombo yesterday. As the country embarks on a new 5-year term under his leadership, citizens have high hopes and expectations for change. The Daily Morning reached out to individuals from various sectors to gather more..

Sep 24 (CT) What a victory for the Aragalaya, for Anura Kumara Dissanayake, for the NPP or the Grand Alliance of Good People and for Sri Lanka. Aragalaya is successfully concluded. Mission accomplished. People have won. The old evil political establishment and its scoundrels are defeated, dispatched and deleted. Let us savor our victory. There is a deep satisfaction commonly felt by all decent good people. It is not a private victory of any one person, not even of Anura. more..

Sep 24 (DM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake during his speech after he was declared elected as the Prez at the Election Commission’s auditorium said the very conducting of the Prez election this time was a victory for the people. With that statement he was recalling how the former Prez attempted to postpone elections – local govt elections and the just concluded Prez election- using his executive powers. He practically scuttled the local govt elections even after more..