Sri Lanka will hold the first round of its presidential election on Sept. 21, with a record 39 candidates registering to run. The election will be conducted under Sri Lanka's preferential voting system, where voters rank candidates in order of preference. If a candidate secures more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win the election outright. If no candidate achieves this majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on the next preferences indicated. This process continues until a candidate obtains a majority. Of the 39 candidates, the most likely to win include Ranil Wickremesinghe, Namal Rajapaksa, Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake. However, while the president holds significant executive powers, including the ability to appoint key officials and influence national policy, the new president will still need to collaborate with the parliament, which is currently dominated by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna...
