President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's promise to hold corrupt officials accountable has fueled his public support.

People in Sri Lanka are voting in snap parliamentary elections, barely seven weeks after choosing a new president. More than 8,800 candidates are in the fray in an election marked by a low-key campaign.

Sri Lankans began voting on Thursday in a snap election to decide if the Indian Ocean island will give its new leftist president greater strength to help the poor as it recovers from a financial meltdown.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is looking to consolidate his party’s power in Thursday’s parliamentary election to help him implement his election pledges to solve the country’s economic woes and foster good governance.

Sri Lanka began voting in a snap election on Thursday which will determine if the island nation wants to empower its new, leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to push his pro-poor policies as it recovers from a financial meltdown.

With Sri Lanka's economic recovery hanging in balance, President Dissanayake hopes voters give him a strong mandate for his policies to reduce taxes and boost welfare.Voting began in Sri Lanka's snap parliamentary election on Thursday,

Economy and cost living key issues for voters Sri Lankans go to the polls on Thursday to choose their parliamentary representatives after new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called a snap election.