InternationalFriday, 2 October 2026·The Hindu - International
Sri Lanka’s 2024 political shift and Dissanayake’s mandate: key facts on system change
The article traces Sri Lanka’s 2022 Aragalaya, Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s 42.31% presidential vote in 2024, and the NPP’s rise to power.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In September 2024, Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as President of Sri Lanka after winning 42.31% of the votes in the presidential race, and his National People’s Power (NPP) coalition later secured a historic supermajority in the general election.
Key specifics
- The 2022 Sri Lankan mass uprising was known as the Janata Aragalaya, or people’s struggle.
- Dissanayake founded the National People’s Power (NPP) coalition in 2019.
- He was sworn in on September 23, 2024, after the presidential election.
- His presidential vote share was 42.31%, and he won through preferential votes in a three-cornered race.
- The article says his government completed two years in office last week and faced Cyclone Ditwah in late 2025, which killed nearly 700 people.
Exam lens
Question type: International relations and political developments, key facts: Janata Aragalaya 2022, NPP founded in 2019, oath on September 23, 2024, 42.31% vote share. TNPSC one-liner: Sri Lanka’s post-crisis political transition is relevant for questions on democratic movements and leadership change.