Colombo, September 22 – National People’s Power (NPP) MP Vijitha Herath announced that NPP presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake is currently leading with 13 lakh (1.3 million) more votes, following the initial round of counting in the 2024 presidential election.
According to Herath, while Dissanayake is in the lead, no candidate has crossed the critical 50% mark required to secure an outright win in the first preference votes. As a result, the Election Commission is mandated to proceed with counting the second and third preferences in accordance with election laws before announcing the final result.
Despite this, Herath expressed confidence that Dissanayake’s victory remains inevitable, even as the second preference vote count is awaited.