Live Blog: Anura Kumara Dissanayake maintains lead

AKD secures same 15 electorates that Gota won in 2019

National People's Power (NPP) candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured 15 electoral districts that were won by former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in the previous Presidential elections in 2019, according to official election results.

Mr Dissnayake secured victoires in the electoral districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Mahanuwara, Matale, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Anuradharpura, Polonnaruwa, Moneragala, Ratnapura, and Kegalle. 

In 2019, Mr Rajapaksa won 16 electoral districts in total. 

In addition to Nuwara-Eliya, Jaffna, Vanni, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Digamadulla districts which Mr Premadasa won again, he also secured Badulla electoral district which he lost in 2019. 

However, there are some notable differences between the otherwise similar voting patterns at the electorate level. 

Dissanayake won in more electorates in the Western province than Rajapaksa did, clinching Colombo East, Dehiwela, Borella, Negombo, and Wattala which voted for Premadasa in 2019. Premadasa also lost favor with the Galle electorate which gave Dissanayake a landslide victory this time despite voting for Premadasa in 2019.

However, Premadasa also improved in other provinces as well. In Uva, he won Bibile, Moneragala, Mahiyangana, Wiyaluwa, Badulla, Bandarawela, Uva-Paranagama, and Welimada electoral  divisions which previously voted against him. 

In the North-Central province, Dissanayake lost Horowupotana and Medawachchiya to Premadasa, two divisions that voted for Rajapaksa in 2019.

Premadasa also improved in the Central province winning all divisions in Nuwara-Eliya including the only one he lost in 2019, Hanguranketha. 

Matale did a U-turn with Laggala and Rattota divisions which were won by Rajapaksa in 2019 going to Premadasa in 2024 while the only division won by Premadasa in 2019, Matale, flipped to Dissanayake. Dissanayake was the main protagonist in Mahanuwara doing better than Rajapaksa did by winning Nawalapitiya, Mahanuwara, and Udunuwara divisions which previously went to Premadasa. On the other hand, Premadasa managed to flip Teldeniya in his favour.

Premadasa shook up Sabaragamuwa by capturing  Yatiyanthota, Deraniyagala, Pelmadulla, Nivitigala and Rakwana who all voted against him in 2019. However, the only electorate he won in the province in 2019, Mawanella, let him down with a Dissanayake victory.

Premadasa's long standing strength in the Eastern province improved further as Seruwila division in Trincomalee that voted for Rajapaksa in 2019 went to Premadasa this year. 

But in the Northern province which Premadaa won in majority numbers in the previous polls, an unlikely contender, Ariyanethiran took the lead in Udupiddy, Point Pedro, Kayts, Nallur, Vaddukkodai, and Jaffna divisions  this time. 

7:21 pm Sajith Premadasa secured 167,867 preferential votes in the second count while Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured 105,264 votes. The votes were added to the first round totals. 

Electorate secured by candidates

Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured  victories in 105 electorates out of a total of 160. While Sajith Premadasa won in 50 electorates. independent candidate Ariyanethiran Pakkiyaselvam secured 6 electorates.

Breakdown of the electorates won by the three candidates;

Anura Kumara Dissanayake:

Colombo District: Borella,Colombo-East, Dehiwala, Ratmalana, Kolonnawa, Kotte, Kaduwela, Avissawella, Homagama, Maharagama, Kesbewa, Moratuwa

Gampaha District: Wattala, Negombo, Katana, Divulapitiya, Mirigama, Minuwangoda, Attanagalla, Gampaha, Ja-Ela, Mahara, Dompe, Biyagama, Kelaniya

Kalutara District: Panadura, Bandaragama, Horana, Bulathsinhala, Matugama, Kalutara, Beruwala, Agalawatta

Kandy District: Galagedara, Harispattuwa, Kundasale, Hewaheta, Senkadagala, Mahanuwara, Yatinuwara, Udunuwara, Nawalapitiya

Matale District: Dambulla and Matale

Galle District: Balapitiya, Ambalangoda, Karandeniya, Bentara-Elpitiya, Hiniduma, Baddegama, Ratgama, Galle, Akmeemana, Habaraduwa

Matara District: Deniyaya, Hakmana, Akuressa, Kamburupitiya, Devinuwara, Matara, Weligama

Hambantota District: Mulkirigala, Beliatta, Tangalle, Tissamaharama

Digamadulla District: Ampara

Kurunegala District: Galgamuwa, Nikaweratiya, Yapahuwa, Hiriyala, Wariyapola, Panduwasnuwara, Bingiriya, Katugampola, Kuliyapitiya, Dambadeniya, Polgahawela, Kurunegala, Mawathagama, Dodangaslanda

Puttalam District: Puttalam, Anamaduwa, Chilaw, Nattandiya, Wennapuwa

Anuradhapura District: Anuradhapura-East, Anuradhapura-West, Kalawewa, Mihintale, Kekirawa

Polonnaruwa District: Minneriya, Medirigiriya, Polonnaruwa

Badulla District: Bandarawela

Monaragala District: Wellawaya

Ratnapura District: Eheliyagoda, Ratnapura, Balangoda, Kalawana, Kolonna

Kegalle District: Dedigama, Galigamuwa, Kegalle, Rambukkana, Mawanella, Aranayake, Ruwanwella

Sajith Premadasa:

Colombo District: Colombo - North, Colombo - Central, Colombo - West

Kandy District: Patha-Dumbara, Mada-Dumbara, Teldeniya, Hewaheta, Gampola

Jaffna District: Kankesanturai, Manipay, Kopay, Chavakachcheri, Kilinochchi

Vanni District: Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullativu

Batticaloa District: Kalikuda, Batticaloa, Padiruppu

Digamadulla District: Sammanthurai, Kalmunai, Pottuvil

Trincomalee District: Seruwila, Trincomalee, Mutur

Puttalam District: Puttalam

Anuradhapura District: Medawachchiya, Horowpothana

Nuwara Eliya District: Nuwara Eliya, Kotmale, Hanguranketa, Walapane, Maskeliya

Badulla District: Mahiyanganaya, Wiyaluwa, Passara, Badulla, Hali-Ela, Uva-Paranagama, Welimada, Haputale

Monaragala District: Bibila and Monaragala

Ratnapura District: Palmadulla, Rakwana and Nivitigala

Kegalle District: Yatiyanthota and Deraniyagala

This comprehensive breakdown illustrates the electoral landscape and highlights the strongholds of each candidate in various districts across Sri Lanka.

Ariyanethiran Pakkiyaselvam Electorates

Jaffna District: Kyats, Vaddukoddai, Udupiddy, Point Pedro, Nallur and Jaffna.

Four other key Presidential candidates secure less than a million votes

Presidential candidates Namal Rajapaksa, Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran, Dilith Jayaweera, and K. K. Piyadasa secured fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh positions in the 2024 election collectively returning less than one million votes.

Rajapaksa of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) won 2.57 per cent of the national vote with 342,781 votes while  Ariyanethiran, the Tamil common candidate received 1.7 per cent with 226,343 votes, Dilith Jayaweera of the Communist Party received 0.92 per cent with 122,396 votes and K. K. Piyadasa obtained 0.36 with 47,543 votes.

Rajapaksa did best in the Hambantota district where he secured 6.25 per cent of the vote, but it's a steep decline from SLPP's landslide victory in 2019. A Rajapaksa home ground and SLPP stronghold, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa previously won Hambantota with 66 per cent. 

Ariyanethiran was fielded as the Tamil Common Candidate receiving support from the Tamil Makkal Kooddani leader C. V. Vigneswaran as well as civil society organizations. Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) leader Sivagnanam Sritharan and Jaffna MP Mavai Senathirajah rallied for Ariyanethiran as well, despite their party officially backing Premadasa.

Ariyanethiran did well in the Jaffna electoral division coming in at second place having lost to Premadasa by just 4489 votes. In Vanni, Ariyanethiran polled third falling to fourth place in Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Digamadulla. 

Dilith Jayaweera secured most of his votes from the Colombo, Kalutara, Kurunegala, Gampaha, Galle, Matara, and Ratnapura districts.

K. K. Piyadasa's success was a surprise, even polling in the top five in five districts. However, his strong performance is likely due to the similarity of his symbol, the calculator, and Sajith Premadasa's telephone. 

7:00 p.m.: District preference votes are being released.

Preparations are underway to announce the final results at the Election Commission and the main candidates have been invited to the venue. The announcement will be made after the count of the preference votes will be added to the final district results. In the first round, Anura Kumara Dissanayake received 5.6 million (42.31%), Sajith Premadasa 4.3 million (32.76 % ) and Ranil Wickremesinghe received 2.2 million (17.27 %).

Sajith Premadasa returns higher majority votes in North and East

In what looked like an entirely different election results pattern, SJB Presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa returned a higher number of votes compared to other candidates.

Jaffna electoral district experienced a tight race with Mr Premadasa beating Tamil Common candidate P. Ariyanethrian by only 4489 votes. Manipay division went to Premadasa by only 22 votes. Kayts, Jaffna, Vaddukkoddai, Udupiddy, Point Pedro, and Nallur divisions in Jaffna electorate voted in favor of Ariyanethran while Kankesanthurai, Manipay, Kopay, Chavakachcheri, and Kilinochchi voted for Premadasa.  

In the Vanni electoral district, Mr Premadasa secured a higher margin, beating his main contender Wickremesinghe by over 42,000 votes. Mr Ariyanethran trailed at third place having received 36,377 votes or 16.74 per cent. Mr Premadasa won all Vanni polling divisions. 

The tight race in the North is unique this time compared to previous elections where Northern voters rallied behind one particular candidate. In 2019 and 2015 they voted overwhelmingly for Mr Premadasa and Mr Sirisena respectively. But in this election, no candidate received more than half of their vote. 

In the East, voting patterns were more closely similar to trends in the South as the Tamil common candidate did not make it to the top three. Nevertheless, a crucial difference is the better performance of Mr Wickremesinghe over Mr Dissanayake. 

Mr Premadasa comfortably won all three districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Digamadulla. In Trincomalee Dissanayake lagged by 29.53 percent and in Digamadulla, he was 21.59 per cent behind. Meanwhile, in Batticaloa, Mr Wickremesinghe proved to be a stronger competitor coming in second. Ariyanethiran received 7.74 per cent  in Trincomalee, 2.36 per cent in Digamadulla, and 9.71 per cent in Batticaloa. 

In the Digamadulla electoral district, the Ampara electorate was the only one to vote for Dissanayake in the district.In Trincomalee too, the race in the Tamil and Muslim majority divisions of Mutur and Trincomalee was between Premadasa and Wickremesinghe while the Sinhala majority division of Seruwila brought Dissanayake in second. 

In Batticaloa Mr Premadasa and Mr Wickremesinghe were front-runners across the board. Mr Dissanayake didn't even make it to third place in two of the three electroates, with Ariyanethiran overtaking him in Kalkudah and Padiruppu. 

3.50 pm: The Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group to the Sri Lanka presidential election, Danny Faure, has called for patience as the country enters an extended second counting phase.

President Faure stated that Sri Lankan voters have expressed their wishes, ushering the country into a historic second phase of counting, in a preferential voting system since its introduction in 1982.

"With the electoral process still underway, wise leadership is essential. We appeal to all stakeholders to showcase composure as the country awaits the conclusion of its election process. The Election Commission of Sri Lanka is urged to continue its diligent and transparent work in this crucial stage of the count. As the Commonwealth, we stand in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka and are united in our desire to see the strengthening of the Commonwealth Charter values of peace, democracy, and tolerance," he stated. 

The Observer Group, deployed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, is led by Danny Faure, former President of Seychelles, and includes a team of eminent persons from across the Commonwealth.

Meanwhile, Fuwad Thowfeek Lanka, The Chairperson of the  'FEMBoSA'  the International Observation Team and the Chairperson of the Elections Commission of the Maldives, said that especially with the long list of candidates, it may take more time to count the votes compared to other elections and the ither countries. "However, they are doing this very carefully, and their work is commendable, even though it is a manual process. I found that the officials are very professional, enthusiastic, and positively engaged in their duties, with no chance for fraud because everything is done transparently and openly."

He commended the Election Commission of Sri Lanka "for their hard work and for being well-organized, with very committed people." He added that due to the professionalism of the Election Commission, all other sectors of government and private authorities are also supporting them. 

3.10 pm : Batticaloa district final results- Sajith  Premadasa 139,110, Ranil Wickremesinghe 91,132 and Anura Kumara Dissanayake 38,832.

Here’s how the Election Commission is counting the second preference votes 

For the first time in the country’s electoral history of Presidential elections, the second preference votes are being counted to determine the ninth Executive President of the country as no candidates obtained fifty per cent of the votes. 

As per Section 57 of  Presidential Elections Act No. 15 of 1981, all candidates except NPP candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake and SJB Sajith Premadasa will be eliminated from the race. 

The ballots of the other candidates will be considered for the recount. Among them, those who casted a second preference for either Mr Dissanayake or Mr Premadasa will be counted as a valid preferential vote. 

If a ballot does not contain a first or second preference for either Mr Dissanayake or Mr Premadasa, then that ballot's third preference will be counted. 

For example, if someone voted first for Mr Wickremesinghe, second for Mr Premadasa and third for Mr Dissanayake, their vote will count towards Mr Premadasa only. Their third preference for Mr. Dissanayake will not be considered. If someone voted first for Mr Wickremesinghe, second for Mr Ariyanethiran and third for Mr Dissanayake, their vote will count towards Mr Dissanayake. 

As a result, each voter who did not vote for either Mr Dissanayake or Mr Premadasa will have the equal opportunity for their second or third preference to be counted towards the final result.

EC to count second-preference voting

The Election Commission (EC) has announced that second preference voting will be conducted, as no candidate has secured over 50 per cent of the total votes.

EC Chairman R.A.M.L. Ratnayake told reporters today that, apart from Anura Kumara Dissanayake of NPP and Sajith Premadasa of SJB, all other candidates will be eliminated from the next round of counting.

Mr. Dissanayake has secured 39.52% leading the race, while Mr. Premadasa has obtained 34.28%.

Postal votes: AKD secures nineteen electoral districts

In the Postal votes, National Peoples’ Power Presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured 19 out of 22 electoral districts. Sajith Premadasa won postal votes in the electoral districts of Vanni, while Ranil Wickremesinghe clinched Batticaloa and Jaffna. 

Government officials and members of the Tri-forces who were deployed for election duties were eligible to cast their ballot through the postal vote. A total of 712,318 people were eligible for postal voting

12.01 pm: District Returning Officers are instructed to be prepared for counting of second preference votes as counting ballots is currently underway, a senior official from the Election Secretariat said. 

Currently, NPP candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake is leading the polls with 40.7 per cent votes, with Sajith Premadasa trailing behind with 33.38 per cent and independent candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe with 17.41 per cent votes as of 12.00 pm, according to official results released by Election Commission so far. 

10:52 am: Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won the Polonnaruwa district securing 130,880 votes (46.12%). Sajith Premadasa 100,730 (35.49%)

10.45 am : Rishad Bathiudeen, leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) congratulated NPP’s Anura Kumara Disaanayake on his election as President of Sri Lanka. “This victory reflects the aspirations of the people, and we trust you will uphold their mandate by fostering development and unity across the nation. Wishing you wisdom and success in your leadership,” Mr. Bathiideen said in a message on his X account.

10.40 am : Sajith  Premadasa won the Jaffna district with 121,177 votes while the Tamil common candidate P. Ariyanethiran came second  with 116,688 votes. Ranil Wickremesinghe won  84,558 votes while Anura Kumara Disaanayake won  27,086 votes.

10.05 am: Security in Colombo City

09.51 am: Anura Kumara Dissanayake is leading with 44.46 per cent of the vote followed by Sajith Premadasa 30.25 per cent.  Ranil Wickremesinghe has received 15.75 per cent.

09.00 am: Anura Kumara Dissanayake is maintaining his lead as more results come in for the 2024 presidential election. Up to now Mr Dissanayake has secured 45.6 per cent while Sajith Premadasa has received 29.9 per cent of votes and Ranil Wickremesinghe has recived 14.9 per cent .

4.24 am: 

Anura Kumara Dissanayake has taken an early lead in the presidential election 2024 by winning most of the postal votes in Districts of results announced so far.  He has won the  Ratnapura, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Monaragala, Galle, Trincomalee, Matale, Colombo and Matara Districts.  

Anura Kumara Dissanayake is so far leading by securing  (52.5%) while Sajith Premadasa secured (21.5 % ) and Ranil Wickremesinghe (19.2%) trailing behind. Meanwhile, independent candidate Ariyanethirnan Pakkiyaselvam secured the Nallur Electorate.