With Sri Lanka's economic recovery hanging in balance, President Dissanayake hopes voters give him a strong mandate for his policies to reduce taxes and boost welfare.

Sri Lankans voted in a snap parliamentary election, testing the popularity of the ruling National People's Power party under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. As the nation recovers from an economic crisis,

Here is why the upcoming parliamentary election is so significant for newly-elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Sri Lankans were voting in snap parliamentary elections Thursday, with new leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's party expected to secure a mandate to drive through economic reforms.The outgoing parliament was dominated by the party of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa -- the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP),

As many as 196 members are to be elected from the 22 districts based on the proportional representation system while 29 would be elected from the cumulative votes polled national list to provide a 225-member Parliament for a five-year term.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake hopes to grab two-thirds of the legislature's 225 seats to press ahead with reforms after the country's economic meltdown in 2022, when then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted.

Sri Lanka holds a snap election on Thursday which will determine if the South Asian island nation wants to empower its new, leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to push his anti-poverty policies as it recovers from a financial meltdown.

Strong support that Dissanayake secured in the presidential election will likely stay with his party in Thursday’s election, analysts say