Sri Lankans voted on Saturday in an election to pick a president who will face the task of bolstering the country's fragile economic recovery following its worst financial crisis in decades.
The election is predicted to be a close contest between President Ranil Wickremesinghe, main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and challenger Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Dissanayake narrowly led in one recent opinion poll.
#SriLanka #election
The election is predicted to be a close contest between President Ranil Wickremesinghe, main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and challenger Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Dissanayake narrowly led in one recent opinion poll.
#SriLanka #election
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NewsTranscript
00:00Now counting is underway in Sri Lanka after millions of people cast their vote in the presidential election.
00:06The winner faces the task of rebuilding the economy after its worst financial crisis in decades.
00:12It's expected to be a close contest. Our correspondent Ravindra Bauer reports.
00:20Soaring prices have pinched the pockets of the middle class in Sri Lanka.
00:25Millions are reeling under economic hardships and change is what the voters are looking for in the presidential elections this time.
00:34If we can put an end to corruption, we won't have to suffer anymore.
00:39It's the root of our problems and if we tackle that, we can live peacefully in this country.
00:46We didn't get proper justice to our world, our freedom, our human freedom.
00:54We didn't get it. So we deserve a better future.
00:59The 2022 uprising triggered by the economic crisis led to the removal of the then president, Gotabaya Rajapaksha.
01:09Two years later, after a $2.9 billion bailout program by the IMF and a $25 billion debt restructuring process, the economy is on a path of recovery.
01:24I have my doubts whether what we have agreed as the debt relief, whether it would actually be adequate for us to really make our debt sustainable.
01:34Of course, I wish if that could have been better relief rather than 28%, probably about 35%.
01:41Most candidates in the presidential polls have assured that they will continue with the IMF program, but with some changes.
01:52Experts say any deviation might derail the process.
01:57As long as the overall trajectory of revenue consolidation and SOE reforms and central bank independence and the debt restructuring remains well within what we have achieved, then that's not going to be too much of a problem.
02:17Whoever wins, the new government will have to face the third IMF review within 100 days of taking charge.
02:27For more UN videos visit www.un.org