evidence: The Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won Sri Lanka’s presidential election, in what was viewed as a widespread rejection of the old political elite who are blamed for the country’s ongoing economic woes. For the first time in Sri Lanka’s history, the election went into a runoff on Sunday after no candidate managed to get more than 50% of the votes. However, after second-choice votes were counted, Dissanayake was declared the winner in the evening. "This victory belongs to all of us," he said, writing on X. [...] As the election results were announced, there was a mood of optimism on the streets of Colombo. Mohammed Dilshad, 50, who works in tourism, said that after years of voting for the same two parties, people had felt let down and angry. "Anura [Dissanayake] has never ruled the country, this time people have given [him] a mandate with great hope," said Dilshad. "People want a system change. They have promised to reduce government spending. They have to deliver all the promises."