Sri Lanka Celebrates 77th Independence Day Amid Crisis, President Dissanayake Emphasizes Economic Freedom
Sri Lanka celebrated its 77th Independence Day this year amid a major crisis, with a smaller parade and fewer aircraft than in previous years. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressed the gathering at the Independence Square in Colombo on Tuesday, stating, “To achieve our economic independence, we must work together to avoid vulnerabilities in the global economic system.”
He further added, “We must stand united in our struggle for this motherland.”
In an effort to recover from the country’s 2022 economic crisis, Dissanayake’s government has continued to pursue a strategy of reducing state expenditure, leading to significant cuts in this year's Independence Day celebrations. While 3,400 soldiers participated in last year’s parade, only 1,800 were present this year. Out of 19 aircraft displayed last year, only three took part in this year’s event.
President Dissanayake, who won the presidential election by a narrow margin in September, also referred to his National People’s Power Party (NPP)’s historic victory in the November parliamentary elections. His party secured a two-thirds majority in the 225-member national parliament, marking a milestone in Sri Lanka’s history.
This was the first government since 1989 to secure 150 or more seats in the parliamentary elections.
Following Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic crisis, Dissanayake successfully completed the country’s long-overdue foreign debt restructuring process, a task largely carried out by his predecessor, Ranil Wickremesinghe. In April 2022, Sri Lanka declared its first-ever sovereign default.
