In a recent survey conducted by the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), the potential outcome of a presidential election held last October has been revealed, with National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake emerging as the front-runner.

According to the October 2023 IHP Sri Lanka Opinion Poll Survey (SLOTS), Anura Kumara Dissanayake would have secured 51 percent of the vote if the election had taken place last October.

The survey indicates that the leader of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, Sajith Premadasa, garnered 30 percent of the hypothetical vote, while the current President, Ranil Wickramasinghe, secured 13 percent. Notably, if a common candidate were presented by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the percentage was estimated to be 6 percent.

Interestingly, the survey suggests that even if President Ranil Wickremesinghe contested in alliance with the SLPP, his combined support would reach only 19 percent