Sri Lanka's Marxist-leaning leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, grabbed a commanding early lead on Sunday in his bid to become the next president of the debt-ridden country seeking to elect a leader to bolster its fragile economic recovery.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the National People's Power, is set to become Sri Lanka’s ninth executive president based on early postal voting results. Dissanayake has secured 56% of the votes,

NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake could be sworn in as the new President later today if the final announcement declaring him as the winner is made by the Elections Commission on time, a party source told Daily Mirror.