The past few years have not been easy on Sri Lanka, but the Southeast Asian island — and its people — are on the upswing.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s strong showing reveals voter weariness with leadership that has led to a national economic crisis and crushing hardship for many people.

Sri Lanka voted for its next president, with economic issues and IMF austerity plans at the forefront. Incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe faces strong challengers Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake,

Sri Lanka's election this coming Saturday has raised doubts over when its long-awaited debt deal with bondholders will be finalised, if it keeps up with its IMF programme targets and even whether it results in a president inclined to change both.

Mr. Wickremesinghe, 75, a six-time former prime minister, is a political survivor. His elevation to the presidency in 2022, after the overthrow of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, plucked him out of irrelevance and demonstrated his formidable bargaining powers.

Vote counting is underway in Sri Lanka’s presidential election as it seeks to recover from the worst economic crisis and political upheaval

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka voted for its next president Saturday in an effective referendum on an unpopular International Monetary Fund austerity plan enacted after the island nation's unprecedented financial crisis.

Women make up more than half of the voters in Sri Lanka, but in Saturday’s presidential election, not even one will be on the ballot

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka was voting for its next president Saturday in an effective referendum on an unpopular International Monetary Fund austerity plan enacted after the island nation's unprecedented financial crisis.

From workers in sprawling tea plantations in the north to big cities in the south, millions of Sri Lankans cast ballots Saturday for a new president, who faces the daunting task of rebuilding an economy still coping with the aftershocks of its collapse two years ago.