Sri Lanka’s presidential election could mark a significant milestone, as it might be the first time in history that a single candidate does not secure over 50% of the popular vote.

If so, it could make the outcome of the polls dependent on preferential voting, something that has never happened before on the island.

The Tamil common candidate for Sri Lanka's presidential elections, Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, received overwhelming support during a rally held in Nallur, Jaffna, yesterday.

(Image courtesy: Vijitha Herath Facebook Page)

Senior member of the National People's Power (NPP), Vijitha Herath, reiterating his party's commitment to preserving Sri Lanka’s unitary state and offering privileged protection to Buddhism under an NPP-led government, just days before voting in presidential elections begins.

Sri Lanka’s State Finance Minister, Shehan Semasinghe warned of an imminent economic collapse if parliament is dissolved and a third review of the much-needed International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan is not completed.

As Sri Lanka approaches its presidential election on September 21, a new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) highlights the stakes for the millions pushed into poverty by recent economic reforms.

The Tamil families of the disappeared have called on the Tamil community to vote for the common candidate Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran as Sinhala political leaders have failed to address the grievances of the Tamil nation. 

Leader of the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, called on Tamils to boycott the upcoming presidential polls, stating that doing so would be a “rejection of the system” and calls the legitimacy of the Sri Lankan state into question.

Sri Lankan police have warned Tamil candidate Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran about potential threats to his life, based on intelligence reports in a letter that has been publicly released this week.

Several more Eelam Tamil politicians have urged Tamils to support the common Tamil candidate, Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, emphasizing that his candidacy offers an opportunity to present Tamil grievances on a united platform.

Sinhala Buddhist monks, members of the military and senior political figires were present as the Minister of Defence hosted a poetry book launch this month, with Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne writing 2579 poems on the state defeated LTTE 'terrorism'.

Sri Lankan police have successfully completed a Hindi language course hosted by the Indian government this week, despite officers across the North-East still being unable to speak the native language Tamil.

National People's Power (NPP) leader and presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake has reiterated his commitment to dissolve the Sri Lankan Parliament immediately if he were to win the upcoming presidential election.