Anura Confident of Securing Over 50% in Presidential Election

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the presidential candidate of the National People’s Force (NPP), is confident that he will secure more than 50% of the vote in the upcoming election, with his expectations even reaching 60-70%. He shared these insights during a special news conference held in Colombo on August 19, 2024.

Dissanayake addressed criticisms from rival candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had claimed that the NPP had previously hidden from the opportunity to take over the government. “As much as Ranil says such things, they will not come to fruition. As President, he should refrain from such statements. We sent a letter to Gotabaya Rajapaksa asking for power but did not even receive an acknowledgment. The President-elect of Parliament would not have granted us such power. We are prepared to take over the country,” Dissanayake said.

He dismissed fears propagated by Wickremesinghe’s campaign about potential violence or instability under an NPP government. “We are very clear that after a victory for the NPP, opposition parties will not be harmed in any way. We accept that responsibility,” Dissanayake affirmed. He also criticized the use of slander and misinformation in the election campaign, referring to a specific instance where an MP made baseless claims about the NPP’s intentions.

When asked about projections that the NPP could achieve 70 lakhs of votes, Dissanayake explained that, “Out of Gotabaya’s 69 lakhs, 50 lakhs were not from the traditional Podujana Peramuna party. The 55 lakhs that Sajith Premadasa received were not his own votes but votes against Gotabaya. With more than 80 lakhs of unwritten votes and 12 lakhs of new voters, the NPP can exceed 70 lakhs. Politically, we could achieve close to 60-70%.”

Regarding a recent friendly interaction with MP Namal Rajapaksa on the day nominations were handed over, Dissanayake commented, “He asked, ‘How are you, brother?’ Handshakes and political policies are different. I noticed his arrogance. What we did was right, and what he did was wrong.”