Sri Lankans vote in a presidential election that will decide how it recovers from economic crisis

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankans are voting in a presidential election that will determine the course of the country’s recovery from its worst economic crisis and resulting political upheaval. The election, contested by 38 candidates, is largely a three-way race among incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Marxist-leaning lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. Final results are expected Sunday. They will show whether people approve of Wickremesinghe’s leadership of the nation’s fragile recovery, including debt restructuring under an International Monetary Fund program. Both Premadasa and Dissanayake say they would renegotiate the IMF deal to make austerity measures more bearable. But Wickremesinghe warns that could endanger future IMF aid.