evidence: During his two years in office, Mr. Wickremesinghe has vowed to rebuild the country’s economy with an International Monetary Fund-led austerity and reform programme. While no official announcement in regard to his candidacy was made until Friday, the senior politician has sought to highlight his efforts towards economic stability in recent public speeches, signalling a desire to contest. However, his government faces fierce criticism over high living costs, with several sectors demanding salary hikes to cope. [...] Both, Mr. Premadasa and Mr. Dissanayake have been campaigning with a pledge to end corruption and alleviate people’s economic distress through a renegotiated IMF package.