FILE PHOTO: Sri Lankan President and National People's Power (NPP) party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake gestures while giving speech during a public rally as part of campaign ahead of the 17th Parliamentary Election, in Homagama, Colombo, Sri Lanka, October 20, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage/File Photo
COLOMBO (Reuters) -Sri Lanka began voting in a snap election on Thursday which will determine if the island nation wants to empower its new, leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to push his pro-poor policies as it recovers from a financial meltdown.
A little over 17 million Sri Lankans are eligible to elect lawmakers to the 225-member parliament for a five-year term. A record 690 political parties and independent groups are in the fray across 22 electoral districts.
