A fortnight later, when the votes were counted, Anura won a clear mandate, beating key challengers like Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya and Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party. He was sworn in on September 23.

Sri Lankans elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as their new president on Sunday, putting faith in his pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following the South Asian nation’s worst financial crisis in decades.

Marxist politician Anura Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s presidential election over the weekend, dealing a blow to a political old guard that has been widely blamed for the unprecedented economic crisis that hit the South Asian island nation two years ago.

The 55-year-old candidate has been boosted by his promises of tough anti-corruption measures and bigger welfare schemes.

COLOMBO, (REUTERS) – Sri Lanka’s leftist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office as president on September 23, promising change in the island nation long led by powerful political families which is emerging from its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades.

Marxist leader Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s president after an election that saw voters reject an old guard accused of leading the country into economic crisis.

Sri Lankans have elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the country's new president, giving the Marxist-leaning politician a key role in deciding the future of reforms in the debt-ridden nation that is slowly emerging from a crushing financial crisis.

A four-year, $2.9 billion IMF bailout programme has helped Sri Lanka boost reserves, stem a fall in its currency and tame runaway inflation to kickstart a tentative economic recov