Sri Lanka will hold presidential election on Sept. 21, its first since declaring bankruptcy in 2022

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka will hold a presidential election on Sept. 21 that will likely be a test of confidence in President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s efforts to resolve the country’s worst economic crisis.

The date was announced in a decree the independent elections commission released Friday. It also said nominations will be accepted on Aug. 15.

It will be the first election in the South Asian island nation after it declared bankruptcy in 2022 and suspended repayments on some $83 billion in domestic and foreign loans.

That followed a severe foreign exchange crisis that led to a severe shortage of essentials such as food, medicine, fuel and cooking gas, and extended power outages.

Bharatha Mallawarachi, The Associated Press