Sri Lankan political parties canvass for votes in presidential election

dpa Colombo Sri Lanka was preparing for a four-person contest to elect a new president as political parties in the protest-wracked South Asian nation hurriedly campaigned for public support with just days to go.Party officials were canvassing the 225 members of parliament to rally support for their candidates ahead of the vote by lawmakers scheduled for Wednesday.Sri Lankan Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe is among the four candidates who have thrown their hat into the ring.Wickremesinghe was sworn in after former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country last week amid an economic meltdown that has sent tens of thousands of people into the streets. They stormed Rajapaksa’s official residence on July 9.The three other candidates are parliamentary opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, senior ruling party legislator Dullas Alahapperuma and Marxist party member Anura Kumara Dissanayake.Political observers said the contest was in essence a two-person fight between Wickremesinghe and Premadasa.Wickremesinghe, who is also the prime minister in addition to holding the post of acting president, is seeking the support of the ruling Sri Lanka’s Peoples’ Party as he was appointed by Rajapaksa himself when the premier post fell vacant on May 9.After Rajapaksa fled the island nation, street protests have waned.But some 500 people continue to occupy part of the president’s office after it was overran earlier this month.Anti-government protests have rocked Sri Lanka for the past three months after an unprecedented economic crisis led to shortages of fuel, medicines, gas and food. Sri Lanka has appealed to the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package, but the political turmoil has delayed the discussions.