United Socialist Party (CWI Sri Lanka)
In the presidential election held on 21 September 2024, Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the presidency by receiving 5,740,179 votes, or 42.3%. He will go down in history as the only president who failed to secure 50% of the valid votes cast in the presidential elections since 1982. In this presidential election, Anura Kumara was able to win 14 of the country’s 22 districts, while Sajith Premadasa of the United National Party won eight.
Anura Kumara’s victory is one outcome of the struggle that took place in 2022, which ousted then President Gotabaya with the slogan ‘Gota Go Home’. This struggle popularised the idea of sweeping away the corrupt capitalist families that had plunged Sri Lanka into the most serious crisis in its history. The struggle not only got rid of the president but also sent all 225 Members of Parliament home.
The people’s struggle was an expression of the aspirations of the public against the destruction caused by neoliberalism. However, there are serious contradictions between the policies of Anura Kumara’s National People’s Power (NPP) and the policies demanded by the people’s struggle. The aspirations of that struggle will not bear fruit under the government of the National People’s Power. Nevertheless, another important factor highlighted by this election result is that the people are now rejecting the old traditional capitalist politics.
The Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP, the main force behind the NPP) has repeatedly asserted in the past that it stands for socialist policies. It made promise after promise, surpassing the commitments of other capitalist candidates. But very soon, the people will come to understand that the government formed by Anura is not capable of fulfilling the promises made to the people. It raises serious questions about whether Anura’s government will be able to at least punish the politicians who committed corruption and theft. Will they recover the stolen money? While Anura may have a short honeymoon period of a few months, he will ultimately fail to move beyond capitalist measures to implement even basic socioeconomic reforms that the country demands.
It is no secret that Anura Kumara has made agreements with imperialist forces to continue the neoliberal agenda, including deals with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. During negotiations with the main capitalist business community during the elections, he openly promised that the IMF programme would continue. In Anura Kumara’s own words, he stated that he is ready to “walk the rest of the ropeway that [former president] Ranil Wickramasinghe started with the IMF.” Ranil announced after his defeat that he would hand over the responsibilities to the new president, to cross the rest of the bridge. Anura Kumara is going to rule the country to serve the needs of the IMF, against the wishes of the people who put him in power.
Anura Kumara has come to power by presenting a huge series of promises to the people, and when he fails to fulfil those promises, the mass anger of the people will erupt in a significant way against his rule. In such an environment, the oppressed people, including the working class, are bound to engage in class struggle to win their demands. It is the responsibility of the trade union movement and the genuine left to provide leadership.
The United Socialist Party (USP) presented a series of clear solutions to the socioeconomic and political crisis facing the country in the last presidential election. The USP advanced demands such as non-repayment of debt, full nationalisation of key sectors such as banks and insurance under democratic workers’ control, stopping the process of selling local resources to neoliberal capitalists, and resolving the national question based on the right to self-determination. Additionally, employers’ provident funds should be controlled by trade unions and workers. A series of proposals were made, including the immediate abolishment of the executive presidency and the establishment of a workers’ government to implement a socialist plan.
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the voters who chose us. We received 8,954 votes, approving the programme presented by the United Socialist Party. It should be specially mentioned that we extend our warm greetings for the good response received from the people of the north, where we received 1,221 votes, and the response from the people of the east is equally encouraging, with 710 votes. We also request that you join hands with us to face the deep crisis that is about to emerge and build a serious fightback for the forces of socialism.
- Read more at socialistworld.net: ‘Presidential elections in Sri Lanka – AKD, a hollow win’ and ‘AKD wins 2024 presidential election, the turning point of Sri Lanka?’
