Sri Lanka's Peaceful Revolution

Abstract: In 2024, Sri Lanka experienced a historic political transformation through peaceful elections that put an end to the country's dynastic politics. Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) of the left-wing People's Liberation Front won the presidency with 56 percent after second-preference votes, while his National People's Power coalition secured an unprecedented 159-seat parliamentary supermajority. This dramatic shift followed Sri Lanka's 2022 economic crisis and bankruptcy, which discredited traditional political parties. The elections marked several firsts: the first use of ranked-choice voting redistribution, the largest number of first-time legislators, increased female representation, and unprecedented minority support for a Sinhalese-led party. AKD's victory—following a 2019 campaign in which he gained only 3.2 percent of the vote—augurs a significant political realignment focused on anti-corruption and economic stability.