COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s coalition, the National People’s Power (NPP), was poised to win a snap general election, according to results from the Indian Ocean island polling station released on Friday (November 15).

Dissanayake, who won the presidential election in September, is seeking a mandate for his policies aimed at easing the plight of the poor in a country struggling to emerge from a severe financial crisis.

Dissanayake’s Marxist-leaning coalition had only three of Parliament’s 225 seats before Thursday’s elections, prompting him to dissolve it and seek a new mandate.

“We see this as a crucial turning point for Sri Lanka. We are waiting for a mandate to form a strong parliament, and we are confident that the people will give us that mandate,” Dissanayake said after voting on Thursday.

“There is a change in the political culture of Sri Lanka which began in September and which must continue.”

The NPP won 52 seats, giving it a majority in the legislative elections, according to the latest voting results.

Just over 17 million Sri Lankans were eligible to elect legislators for a five-year term. A record 690 political parties and independent groups were contesting in 22 electoral districts.