Sri Lanka's new president says committed to boost Maldives ties

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the newly elected president of Sri Lanka, on Monday expressed his commitment to enhancing the longstanding ties between Sri Lanka and the Maldives, following a congratulatory message from President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives.

Responding to President Muizzu's message, Dissanayake conveyed his gratitude and emphasised his eagerness to further bolster the historical relationship between the two neighbouring nations.

"Thank you, President @MMuizzu for sending your good wishes. I will be glad to work with you in fostering historical ties between our two nations and also for the cooperation in the region," Dissanayake said.

In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), President Muizzu on Sunday conveyed his best wishes, highlighting the long-standing ties between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

"Heartfelt congratulations to President-elect Anura Kumara Dissanayake (@anuradisanayake) on your remarkable election victory today," President Muizzu wrote.

"As close neighbours, I am eager to work with you to further strengthen the historic friendship between the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Wishing you immense success in your new role."

Sri Lanka elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as its new president on Sunday, putting faith in the 55-year-old's pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following its worst financial crisis in decades.

Dissanayake, who does not possess political lineage like some of his rivals in the presidential election, led from start to finish during the counting of ballots, knocking out incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa to become Sri Lanka's 10th president.

The election was also a referendum on Wickremesinghe, who led the heavily indebted nation's fragile economic recovery from a meltdown in 2022 but the austerity measures that were key to this recovery hindered his bid to return to office. He finished third with 17% of the vote.

Dissanayake polled 5.6 million or 42.3% of the votes, a massive boost to the 3% he managed in the last presidential election in 2019. Premadasa was second at 32.8% after the first round of counting of ballots on Sunday.

It was the first time in Sri Lanka's history that the presidential race was decided by a second round of counting after the top two candidates failed to win the mandatory 50% of votes to be declared winner.