Sri Lanka New President: Following the first elections since the country's economic crisis, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)'s broader coalition National People's Power (NPP), was elected as Sri Lanka's next President.

Dissanayake won nearly 42% of the popular vote, while his nearest rival, Sajith Premadasa, received only 23% of the votes cast. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the incumbent president, finished third with 16% of the vote.

Who is Anura Kumara Dissanayake?

Dissanayake was born into a lower-middle-class family and holds a science degree from the University of Kelaniya.

Dissanayake's active participation in student politics in college led him to join the JVP's anti-government armed insurrection against the "imperialist and capitalist" regimes of then-Presidents Jayawardene and R Premadasa from 1987 to 1989.

In 1995, the Marxist leader became the national organiser of the Socialist Students Association and was later appointed to the JVP's central working committee. In 1998, he joined the JVP's political bureau.

Dissanayake was elected to Parliament in 2000 after running on the nationalist list in the presidential elections. While the JVP initially supported President Kumaratunga's administration, the party later sided with Sinhala nationalists in 2002 to oppose peace talks with the Tamil rebel group LTTE, which was fighting an armed insurrection against the Sinhala-dominated government in Colombo.

The JVP gained popularity in the 2004 presidential election after forging an alliance with Mahinda Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA). The front campaigned expressly against a ceasefire with the LTTE.

Addressing an election campaign among Buddhist monks, Dissanayake promised them that Article 9 of the Constitution, which guarantees Buddhism a prominent role, has 'divine protection' and will not be amended. The JVP-led coalition NPP has also pledged to defend Article 9.