Voting for Sri Lanka's presidential election kicks off

People stand in queue outside a polling station on the day of the presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, September 21, 2024. - Photo: Reuters

COLOMBO: (Bernama-Xinhua) Voting for the presidential election in Sri Lanka kicked off on Saturday (Sept 21), with over 17 million registered voters to elect the South Asian country's president for the next five years, reported Xinhua.

A total of 38 candidates contest in this year's presidential election, including incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sajith Premadasa of the opposition Samagi Jana Balawega (SJB), and Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People's Power (NPP).