Marxist-leaning Dissanayake leads early official vote count in Sri Lanka's presidential election

Marxist-leaning lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake leads early official results in Sri Lanka’s presidential election, according to tallies released on Sunday by the Election Commission, but he is still short of the 50% needed for victory. The election held Saturday is crucial as the country seeks to recover from the worst economic crisis in its history and the resulting political upheaval. The election, contested by 38 candidates, was largely a three-way race among Dissanayake, incumbent liberal President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. Dissanayake was leading with 47% of total votes counted, followed by Premadasa with nearly 28% and Wickremesinghe with 15%.