Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) party leader and National People’s Power (NPP) candidate Anura Deshnake has won Sri Lanka’s presidential election. He was declared the winner in the election held on Saturday for the second time in the country’s history.

On Sunday (September 22) at 7 pm local time, the country’s Election Commission (EC) R.L.A.M. Ratmaye was declared the winner by Anura Deshnayake.
Anura Deshnayake won with 42.3 percent votes. He got a total of 56 lakh 34 thousand 915 votes. His nearest rival Sajith Premadasa got 32.8 percent votes. He got total votes of 43 lakh 63 thousand 35 votes.

Anura Deshnake will be sworn in by the President on Monday (September 23). This day has been declared a public holiday.
Who is Anura Deshanaike?

Anura Deshanaik is known to believe in Marxist philosophy and is ideologically close to China. He was born on 24 November 1968 in Thambuththegama, Sri Lanka. Their father was a laborer and mother was a housewife.

Anura Deshanaike studied in a local school. He stood first in his college life till university entrance examination.

Deshanaike joined the Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) party from his school days. Then he was associated with this party from 1987 to 1989.

Anura Deshanay first started her studies at the University of Peradeniya. But he could not continue his studies there due to threats to his life. He later obtained a degree in Physical Science from the University of Kelaniya in 1995.

Actively involved in politics, Anura Deshanaike became the leader of JPV.

In 1995, Desh Nayek was elected as the national figure of the Socialist Students Association. Then he was elected as a member of the Central Working Committee of the JVP. In 1998, he started working as a member of the Politburo of the JVP.

The party under the leadership of Somavansa Amarasingh supported Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government when it joined mainstream politics. In 2004, Deshnayake was appointed as the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Agriculture in Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government.