Record 39 candidates to run in Sri Lanka’s presidential election
Al Jazeera
Economy remains key issue after protesters angered by financial crisis toppled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022.
A record number of candidates are contesting Sri Lanka’s presidential election next month as the country grapples with an unprecedented economic crisis.
The electoral commission accepted 39 applications on Thursday for the September 21 election, including from incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe.
During the last vote in 2019, 35 candidates ran for the presidency.
“We have to stabilise the economy,” Wickremesinghe told reporters after filing his nomination. “What we are saying is, ‘Let’s go ahead and finish this job’. That’s why I’m asking for your support.”
The South Asian nation is in the midst of a critical debt restructuring and financial reform programme under a bailout by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
