Sri Lanka has more women voters than men but no female presidential candidates

Women make up more than half of the voters in Sri Lanka, but in Saturday’s presidential election, not even one will be on the ballot. Sri Lanka is voting for a president to take its economy forward after it went through an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022 that led to the then-president fleeing the country. Now, the election will allow more than 17 million eligible voters to choose from a record 38 candidates. Sri Lanka had a female president from 1994 to 2006, but women are largely underrepresented in the country's politics. The proportion of seats held by women today in a 255-member Parliament is a mere 5.3%.