Who is Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lanka's new president?

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a newbie among Sri Lanka's political elite, clinched victory in the island nation's presidential election that culminated on September 23. Head of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party, Dissanayake's election win halted the domination of the traditional big two parties, the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), in the country's politics. 

Dissanayake, better known by his initials AKD, defeated opposition leader Sajith Premadasa in the second round of voting after no candidate won more than 50 percent of the total votes in the first round. Incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe was eliminated in the first round.  

An avowed Marxist, Dissanayake is from a modest family involved in agriculture. He entered student politics as part of the JVP's student wing in the late 1980s.

Sri Lankan politics has been dominated by the Colombo elite since the country's independence from the British in 1948. Dissanayake does not come from that exclusive stock. However, his image as an outsider may have helped bolster his popularity. He also did not dress in whites like typical Sri Lankan politicians but was often seen wearing jeans and casual shirts on the campaign trail, where he promised "deliverance from corruption and change." 

He was the first student from his school to go to university and has stated in interviews that "politics was my passion … I've always wanted to transform and improve our society."

The rise of the JVP 

As a result of his party's involvement in the armed uprisings, Dissanayake was forced to go into hiding in his early years in politics. In the cycle of violence that followed, his parents' house was torched. This only strengthened Dissanayake's resolve to stay in politics, and he became a JVP member of parliament (MP) in 2000. He briefly served as minister of agriculture between 2004 and 2005 in a coalition government led by then-President Chandrika Kumaratunga and took over the party leadership of JVP in 2014.

At that time, the JVP had a presence of less than three percent in the 225-member parliament.

In 2019, Dissanayake cobbled together an alliance of smaller parties, academics, trade unions and professionals called the National People's Power (NPP) Alliance. This proved to be a masterstroke.

In 2022, the country was hit hard by both an economic and political crisis. Food, fuel and medicine ran out, and Colombo, almost bankrupt, did not have the means to buy any. Mass protests erupted, and people took to the streets in a movement called "aragalaya," which means struggle in Sinhala, against then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, then-Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The JVP denied playing a role in the movement that forced the Rajapaksa brothers to step down and flee the country.

By then, many JVP members had become part of the NPP, and with the help of a strong grassroots presence, they rode on the momentum built by "aragalaya." An international correspondent of Indian daily The Hindu wrote that "the NPP was courting businessmen, artists, professionals and the middle classes who drew comfort from its new social and class breadth and moderated political pitch."

After Gotabaya Rajapaksa's departure, veteran politician and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe became president through a parliamentary vote to finish the remaining two years of Rajapaksa's term. These two years gave the NPP time to emerge as the country's leading reformist political force, with promises of change and transparency proving popular. 

A changing tide

To tide over the economic crisis, the government had to take a $2.9-billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The debt came with harsh austerity measures dictated by the IMF. Welfare programs were curtailed, and new taxes were imposed, aggravating the poor and salaried classes.

This may have turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Dissanayake campaign, which promised to renegotiate the harsh terms.

Analyzing the victory, Sri Lankan political expert and Colombo resident Sanjana Hattotuwa concluded that "commenters place a great deal of trust in Dissanayake's leadership abilities and integrity."

"There are high expectations that he will successfully tackle corruption, improve the economy and bring about positive transformations in governance. Many express confidence in his vision and capacity to lead Sri Lanka towards prosperity," Hattotuwa said.

"Others reflect a sense of personal connection with Dissanayake. Many refer to him as 'brother ' or express that they feel he is 'one of us,' indicating a strong emotional bond and identification with him as a leader who understands, is connected to and comes from the 'common people."

Despite this, Hattotuwa does not see an easy path ahead for the new president.

"For my part, I see the challenges facing Dissanayake linked to this untested mettle of leadership, where he came to power saying he's not something or someone and now has to define what he and his party will be, stand for, create, and equally, devalue, rescind, and repeal," he said.

For Dissanayake, the uphill climb has just begun. If he intends to keep promises of system change and renegotiation with the IMF, he will need the backing of parliament. However, currently, he only has three MPs.

He has appointed MP and former academic Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister as part of a small cabinet until parliamentary elections are held in mid-November.

In comments posted on X after his victory, he said, "The New Renaissance we seek will rise from this shared strength and vision. Let us join hands and shape this future together!"

(Cover: Sri Lanka's newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake addresses a gathering after taking his oath of office at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka, September 23, 2024. /Reuters)