Sri Lanka (MNN) — Sri Lanka has elected a new president from a Marxist-leaning political party called People’s Liberation Front (PLF).
It was the first presidential election in the nation since unrest in 2022 forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign.
After his inauguration September 23, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake dissolved parliament. He has called for a general election to be held in November of this year instead of in late 2025.
“Over the last two decades, we’ve had a trend of political parties being in power. For the first time, we’ve had new party totally coming in, so there is a new government,” says Pastor Paul*, a gospel worker with A3.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake September 2024 (Photo courtesy of Kasun kavinda gunasekara via Wikimedia Commons, CC0)
“What seems to be happening over the last few days [since Dissanayake took office] is very positive, but I think ,,,there’s a lot of fear in people.”
There’s an anti-corruption movement with the new leaders, which is positive. But because of the PLF party’s history, no one knows if religious freedom will become a concern in the months and years ahead. (PLF is also known as Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP.)
“They represent the Communist Party, so they are non-religious,” Paul says. “The biggest challenge is no one knows what to expect, so there’s nothing to prepare for.”
Pray for believers in Sri Lanka to listen to the Holy Spirit in the midst of uncertainty. Pray also for the upcoming election in parliament.
“I think that’s what we need to pray for, that even through this, the Lord will establish His righteousness,” Paul says. “I’m very positive that God, even through this season, will do something that will transform our nation and bring it to a correct place.”
*Pseudonym
Header photo of Sri Lanka’s flag is a stock photo courtesy of Clker-Free-Vector-Images via Pixabay.
