Second-Preference Votes to Decide Presidential Election Winner: Dissanayake and Premadasa in Final Race
R.M.L. Ratnayake, Chairman of the Election Commission, officially announced that none of the presidential candidates achieved an absolute majority. As a result, the second-preference votes from other candidates will be counted to decide the winner between Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa.
Ratnayake explained that, under Sections 57, 58, 59, and 60 of the Election Act, both Dissanayake and Premadasa were initially excluded from the contest. However, the decision was made to count the second-preference votes they received from other candidates to determine the final outcome.
He also confirmed that all counting centers have been notified, and the results will be made public. The candidate with the highest number of votes after this process will be declared the next President.
