evidence: At the forefront of the race is sitting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, fighting for re-election. However, he faces competition from two other political heavyweights. The 75-year-old Wickremesinghe succeeded former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled in 2022 as the country's economy hit rock-bottom and Sri-Lankans launched massive protests against the government. President Wickremesinghe has garnered the people's goodwill earlier as a six-time prime minister and for his role in negotiating an IMF bailout for the struggling country.