copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-13): Could Marxist Anura Dissanayake become Sri Lanka’s next president?
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-19): ALSO READ: Anura Kumara Dissanayake is the surprising frontrunner in the presidential poll [...] ALSO READ: 'Presidential poll is an opportunity to reshape Sri Lanka': Anura Kumara Dissanayake India’s concerns about his Left leanings and pro-China links and also the Sinhala majoritarian support, has made India look at Premadasa as a promising friend in the neighbourhood. " I am a strong advocate of a permanent seat for India in the UN Security Council," Premadasa said in an exclusive interview to THE WEEK. Premadasa, who finished second in the race in 2109, already has the support of the Tamils who constitute 11 per cent of the total electorate in Sri Lanka. And a large chunk of the hill country Tamils, also back him. "It may seem that everything is fine in Sri Lanka if you look at us being in Colombo. The country is reeling under the worst crisis. The people need a change. With the help of India, we were able to get housing schemes for the hill country Tamils. If Sajith is elected, I am confident that he will continue to engage with India and we can get help for welfare projects," Palani Digambaram, MP from Tamil Progressive Alliance, told THE WEEK.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-17): Unlike all previous Presidential elections, the current election is the most complicated and witnessing a four-cornered fight. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe is seeking mandate as an independent candidate, Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayaka popularly known as AKD, Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the youngest Namal Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) are three other important candidates in the fray. [...] Anura’s main rival Sajith Premadasa is banking on the vote share SJB polled in the previous elections and the party workers spread across the country. Sajith is promising a slew of populist things like his neighbours across the Palk Strait. [...] The voters of Sri Lanka will have to choose between Anura, who is promising a Sweden-like welfare state, Sajith, who is riding high on populism, and Ranil who is promising a stable economy and prosperity in the future.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-02): COLOMBO (News 1st); Independent Presidential Candidate President Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted that Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who previously fled in fear of the economic crisis, now have the opportunity to run for the presidential election due to the economic stability established in the country under his leadership. [...] He criticized Sajith and Anura's call for drastic changes, equating it to burning down a house, and concluded that his success in the upcoming presidential election would be a triumph for the entire country. [...] Reflecting on the formation of the government, Wickremesinghe mentioned that he had invited Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa to join the effort, but both declined.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-06): Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of a Marxist-led coalition named National People’s Power, is fast emerging as a key challenger to Wickremesinghe due to his popularity among the young people fed up with corruption that they believe caused the economic crisis. He is also drawing support from some voters who participated in the 2022 protests demanding the resignation of the then-President Rajapaksa. [...] Wickremesinghe’s other challenger is Sajith Premadasa, the incumbent president’s former deputy and leader of his breakaway party, United People’s Power. Premadasa promises to continue with the IMF program but with changes to lessen the burden on poor people.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-22): Anura Kumara Dissanayake leads Sajith Premadasa by 1,271,880 votes, counting of second and third preferences begins National Peoples Power [NPP] presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayaike led Samagi Jana Balwegaya [SJB] presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa by 1,271,880 votes after the final result of the 2024 Presidential Election was released. Anura Kumar Dissanayaike polled 5,634,915 votes [42.31%] while Sajith Premadasa polled 4,363,035 votes [32.76%], incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe polled 2,299,767 votes [17.27%].
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-18): The final pre-election poll by numbers.lk reveals a commanding lead for Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) of the National People's Power (NPP) in the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential race. AKD has secured a significant 11% advantage over his closest rival, leaving both the opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe trailing by double digits. [...] According to the finding of Numbers.lk's final pre-election poll, Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) of the National People's Power (NPP) leads the Sri Lankan presidential election race with 40% support among likely voters. Sajith Premadasa follows with 29% support, while incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe has 25% support. Namal Rajapaksa, garners only 3% support among likely voters. [...] Voter enthusiasm varies significantly among different groups, with supporters of Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the 2019 election showing the highest enthusiasm. Those who voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Sajith Premadasa in 2019 reflect proportions similar to the actual 2019 results. Notably, 2015 voters for Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena display a 1:3 proportion among the survey respondents, indicating reduced enthusiasm from Mahinda Rajapaksa voters in 2015. This disparity in voter enthusiasm could significantly impact turnout and, consequently, the election results.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2023-08-24): It should be easy for Sajith to defeat Ranil while outmanoeuvring Anura with a patriotic, pro-people, pro-poor, Premadasa discourse and Social Democratic brand. [...] Whether Sajith or Anura wins the Presidency depends on who forms the broadest bloc/united front which most accurately represents public opinion and the national mood. If SP/SJB doesn’t form a broad social democratic coalition with centre-left partners (Dullas’ FPC, Dayasiri Jayasekara, left parties of Uttara Lanka) who can appeal to the 30% of uncommitted, probably ex-MR as well as new voters, then the rational choice may be the cohabitation of competitors Sajith Premadasa and Anura Dissanayake as President and PM, or vice versa.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-22): Left-leaning politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won Sri Lanka’s presidential election after a historic second round of counting. No candidate won more than 50% of the total votes in the first round, where Dissanayake got 42.31% while his closest rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, got 32.76%.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-22): Elections Commission Chairman R.L.A.M. Ratnayake said that Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the JVP-NPP combine and Sajith Premadasa have emerged as the first two in the race. While Anura was leading the race with over 42 per cent votes, Sajith emerged second with 35 per cent votes. However, with no candidate securing 50 percent plus one vote, the second preference votes are now being counted. The three-cornered race and the fragmented electorate had made the fight tough for both Sajith and Anura. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe emerged a distant third while, the scion of the Rajapaksa clan, Namal Rajapaksa secured less than four per cent votes. The Tamil common candidate Pakiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran emerged second after Sajith in the Tamil-dominated northern Sri Lanka. In Jaffna, Ariyanentiran leads the race, while districts like Trincomallee in the East had voted for Anura. The southern districts begin from Colombo. [...] Anura’s emergence and his likely ascent to the Sri Lankan executive presidency are meteoric as he secured a mere 3.2 per cent votes in 2019 election. Gotabaya Rajapaksa then won with 69 lakh votes, only to be brought down from power by the people in 2022.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-25): Colombo, Sri Lanka – For Dilshan Jayasanka, the victory of Anura Kumara Dissanayake as Sri Lanka’s first Marxist-leaning president is the beginning of a "radical new path" for the crisis-hit island nation. [...] However, a majority of Tamil voters in the northern, eastern and central provinces had voted for other candidates, including Dissanayake’s main rivals Sajith Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe, in Saturday’s election. [...] "Anura Kumara’s campaign didn’t target much of the minority community’s demands. This is a point of view among the Tamil communities," Anthony said, adding that he will "wait and see" how the plans for reconciliation promised by the new president would be implemented.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-22): Sri Lankans elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as their new president on Sunday, putting faith in his pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following the South Asian nation’s worst financial crisis in decades. Dissanayake, 55, who does not possess political lineage like some of his rivals in the presidential election, led from start to finish during the counting of votes, knocking out incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-17): The president’s gamble to shun the sweeping governance reforms demanded by protesters in exchange for the stable parliamentary majority needed to pursue economic adjustment will now be put to the test at the polls. Running as an independent candidate backed by an ad hoc coalition, including much of Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, President Wickremesinghe is presenting himself as a "non-partisan" candidate committed to completing the economic recovery with IMF backing. Opinion polls indicate he is trailing his two main competitors, Sajith Premadasa, head of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the left-leaning National People’s Power coalition. Both have pledged to renegotiate the IMF agreement to reduce the strain on working people, but neither has detailed how he would do so. What looks to be the country’s first-ever three-way race could prove tight and tense. In another precedent, it may be decided by voters’ second and third preferences. [...] Opinion polls indicate widespread dissatisfaction with the economy and suggest that, despite recent gains, Wickremesinghe remains the underdog, running behind his two main rivals, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who heads the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and its National People’s Power (NPP) alliance.[4] With the political landscape more fluid and unpredictable than ever, what looks to be the country’s first-ever three-way race could well be very close, particularly given the uncertainties surrounding preference votes.[5]
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-22): Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s presidential election, the Election Commission announced Sunday, after voters rejected the old political guard that has been widely accused of pushing the South Asian nation toward economic ruin. Dissanayake, whose pro-working class and anti-political elite campaigning made him popular among youth, secured victory over opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and incumbent liberal President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over the country two years ago after its economy hit bottom.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-10-08): -Writes Shantha Jayarathna (Lanka-e-News -17.Sep.2024, 11.00 pm) Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa cannot say certain things from their platforms or policies that only Anura Kumara Dissanayake can. One of those points is the removal of MPs' privileges... Read more >> [...] -By Political Correspondent (Lanka-e-News -04.Sep.2024, 10.30 pm) Sajith Premadasa, a key presidential candidate, has made a significant election pledge to the Tamil community, promising to fully implement the 13th Amendment and merge the Northern and Eastern Provinces.... Read more >> [...] -By Virgil (Lanka-e-News -05.May.2024, 9.15 PM) "Don't ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back." ~Anonymous - Everyone expects Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the National People's Power (NPP), to play the game. Ranil Wickremasinghe, Sajith Pr Read more >>
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-08-31): The serious contenders, such as President Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Minister Sajith Premadasa, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s (JVP) Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son Namal Rajapaksa, have spoken little about what is known as the "national question": a political solution to the hopes and aspirations of the Tamil people living in the northern and eastern regions of the country. So much so that when Wickremesinghe was in Tamil-dominated Jaffna recently, he made it a point to speak in Sinhala. He did the same in Batticaloa, another Tamil and Muslim town in the east. "I took this responsibility to fight for you [becoming President in 2022]," he told the largely unmoved audience in Eravur, Batticaloa. "There was no fertilizer or petrol. The economy had come to a halt." He added that he had turned around the country in a short period.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-22): - Hezbollah hits back with more than 100 rockets across a wider and deeper area of Israel - Israel raids and shuts down Al Jazeera’s bureau in Ramallah in the West Bank - ‘We’re not safe any more’: Lebanon reels from week of attacks that have intensified war with Israel - Israel’s Ultimatum to Hezbollah: Back Off or Go to War - Sri Lanka’s Dissanayake and Premadasa head to presidential race runoff - Sri Lanka election goes to historic second count ("Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa headed to a run-off for Sri Lanka’s presidency on Sunday, the election body said, with a second round of counting to determine the winner using preferential votes." Marxist? Seriously???)
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-05-24): However, the Institute of Health Policy’s (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) MRP conducted in March 2024 estimated that NPP/JVP leader AK Dissanayake had the support of 44% of all adults in the forthcoming Presidential election, ahead of Sajith Premadasa, the SJB leader, with 41%, President Ranil Wickremesinghe on 8% and a generic SLPP candidate on 7%.[34] NPP under Dissanayake rose to prominence during the aftermath of the Aragalaya protest, calling for a social revolution to get rid of corruption, and promising a new political culture to improve governance and ethnic reconciliation in the country. [35] But how far the party will be able to translate the dissatisfaction of the Sri Lankan people against the policies of the mainstream parties into votes is the biggest question mark at present. However, due to its growing popularity as a major political force in the country, even foreign governments including India have been trying to engage with the party in recent months.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-08-11): parties - Sagara sends out letters to pro-RW SLPPers; no issue, say MPs; Sabry notes time factor in litigation - Rohitha, Pavithra support RW; Pavithra meets MR to explain, berates State Minister Anuruddha - SJB-led alliance launched; SLMC, TPA join; Dayasiri joins forces with Sajith after UNP time 11 years ago - ACMC undecided, final decision on Wednesday; Patali’s URF meets to decide, majority for Sajith - SJB hit by funding issues, Sajith speaks to organisers; filling National List slot poses dilemma for SJB - Dilith named presidential candidate of Sarvajana Balaya; lays out vision to build a ‘happy nation’ - AKD says those in RW/Sajith camps were rejected by JVP/NPP; starts a door-to-door campaign - Ariyanethiran named common Tamil candidate; fails to attract attention of young Tamil voters The 2024 Presidential Election, while being a decisive one, has also become an intense battle between the key contenders – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa, and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD). [...] Meanwhile, the Sarvajana Balaya alliance last Sunday (4) announced that businessman-turned-politician Dilith Jayaweera would be contesting the Presidential Election as the representative of the Sinhala nationalist camp.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2022-03-13): It is absurd to attempt to predict the outcome of the presidential elections due in about three years, but it is possible to make a broad survey of current trends. There are four runners eyeing the starting post, in alphabetical order of initials they are AKD (the JVP-NPPS Anura Kumara Dissanayake), GR (Gotabaya the government, SLPP and Rajapaksa-clan candidate), PCR (Patali Champika Ranawaka) leading the 43-Brigade and SP (Sajith Premadasa leader of the parliamentary opposition and SJB centre-forward).
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-21): More than 17 million of Sri Lanka's 22 million people are eligible to vote in an election that has shaped up to be a close contest between President Ranil Wickremesinghe, main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and Marxist-leaning challenger Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who led in one recent opinion poll.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-03): Record 39 candidates to take part in upcoming presidential elections. Electoral commission 15 Aug accepted largest-ever number of candidates, with 39 nominations, for 21 Sept presidential election, though the race is widely seen as a three-way battle between president Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya party and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the leftist National People’s Power (NPP) coalition. Both Premadasa and Dissanayake pledging to fight corruption and renegotiate bailout deal with International Monetary Fund (IMF) to better protect lower-income voters from economic austerity measures. In a blow to Wickremesinghe, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), expected to back the president, 7 Aug announced its candidate would be Namal Rajapaksa, 38-year-old son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and nephew of ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa; move is seen as a bid by prominent Rajapaksa family, ousted from power in July 2022, to maintain political control of the SLPP, most of whose party legislators are backing Wickremesinghe. Wickremesinghe’s reputation took a blow after 22 Aug Supreme Court ruling found him guilty of "arbitrary and unlawful" conduct in postponing local elections, initially due in March 2023, ordering govt to hold polls as soon as possible after the presidential vote.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-09-22): Sajith Premadasa, leader of the opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), promises to ease the burden on the poor. In the 2019 election, he finished second with 41.99% of the vote. Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist candidate, has presented himself as an alternative to the traditional system, attracting young voters with his promise to overhaul the country’s "corrupt" political landscape.
Claim: Sajith Forward -Anura Backward !(Presidential Election Survey by Mass Media News) (Social Media Users, 2024-03-18)
Evidence (2024-07-26): Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who heads the Marxist-leaning Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), are also expected to run for president.