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For the first time in Sri Lanka's history, election officials begin a second round of vote counting. In the first round, National People's Power candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake led with 42.31% of the vote counted, while opposition leader and United People's Power candidate Sajith Premadasa took second place with 32.76%. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe came in third place with 17% of the vote. Following the counting of second and third preferences, Dissanayake is declared president-elect by the election commission.
2024-09-22

Sri Lanka suspends state festivals and public gatherings until September 1 and restricts the number of people to 25 for funerals and 150 for weddings amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
2021-08-6

Sri Lanka's National Medicines Regulatory Authority approves the use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, becoming the second vaccine to be made available for the general public.
2021-03-4

Sri Lanka postpones, for a second time, the election from June 20 to August 5 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020-06-10

Voters in Sri Lanka go to the polls for provincial elections with the Tamil National Alliance doing well in the north.
2013-09-21

Thousands of Sri Lankans protest against a United Nations report calling for both sides involved in the civil war to be investigated for possible war crimes.
2011-05-2

306 former Tamil Tiger combatants are to be released from rehabilitation in Sri Lanka.
2010-10-23

The military trial of Sri Lanka's former army chief Sarath Fonseka, charged with participating in politics while in uniform, is adjourned at the end of day one.
2010-03-16

Incumbent President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa is declared the winner of Sunday's presidential election, defeating opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka.
2010-01-27

Voters in Sri Lanka go to the polls in a presidential election.
2010-01-26