The Election Commission of Sri Lanka announced on Sunday that a second preference vote count will be held after no candidate secured the required 50 per cent majority in the 2024 presidential election.
Chairman R M A L Rathnayake confirmed that the leading candidates, Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa, garnered the most votes but fell short of the majority needed to win outright. Consequently, the second preference votes will now be tallied and added to the two leading candidates’ totals. The new president will be declared after the cumulative and preference votes are finalised.
This method of vote counting ensures a winner in case no candidate secures an absolute majority in the first round. Both Dissanayake and Premadasa now await the crucial second count, which could determine Sri Lanka’s next president.