Colombo, 26 July 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Sri Lanka will hold a presidential election on September 21, the country's Election Commission announced on Friday.

Sri Lanka, an island state of some 22 million people, last held elections in November 2019, when it elected Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president.

Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country and resign in July 2022 after tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest, angered by the country's economic collapse.

Incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe was then elected through parliament to succeed Rajapaksa.

In 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved some $3 billion to support crisis-stricken Sri Lanka's policies and reforms.

Sri Lanka turned to the IMF after the country ran into an unprecedented economic crisis resulting in shortages of fuel, gas, medicine and food, leading to social unrest and protests across the country.

Photo: MIA archive