Sri Lanka’s EC orders second round of counting in presidential election

New president will be declared elected after the cumulative votes and preference votes are counted.

Colombo: The Election Commission of Sri Lanka on Sunday ordered a second preference count after no candidate secured over 50 per cent of the votes needed to win the presidential election.

Election Commission Chairman R M A L Rathnayake said that Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa have secured maximum votes in the 2024 presidential election.

However, he said that as neither has secured more than 50 per cent vote, the second preference vote will be counted and added to these two candidates.

He said the new president will be declared elected after the cumulative votes and preference votes are counted.