Wednesday, Sri Lankan MPs voted in parliament to choose the next president from three candidates, hoping that the new leader could lift the country out of a crushing economic and political crisis.

Several protesters have stated that a victory for acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, one of the two leading candidates but opposed by many ordinary Sri Lankans, might lead to additional demonstrations by people infuriated with the ruling class following months of severe gasoline, food, and medical shortages.

Dullas Alahapperuma, a congressman from the ruling party, is more acceptable to protestors and the opposition. Still, he lacks expertise in top-level governance in a country with almost no dollars for imports and an urgent need for an IMF bailout.

Namal Jayaweera, one of several dozens of individuals waiting on the steps of the presidential secretariat, said, "We are here to send our good vibes to the lawmakers so that they can do the right thing, elect the right president so that we can come out of this problem,"

A parliament building around 13 kilometers (8 miles) distant was surrounded by hundreds of police, paramilitary, and military personnel, and an access road had at least three barricades. Security troops monitored a lake in speedboats, and military jeeps and armored vehicles were placed at the perimeter.

At the beginning of this month, protesters occupied the presidential secretariat and the official president's mansion, compelling then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country.

Many demonstrators saw Wickremesinghe as an ally of the Rajapaksa family, and his home and office were ransacked by those demanding his removal.

Wickremesinghe, a six-time prime minister, became acting president when Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on a military plane to the Maldives and then took a commercial trip to Singapore last week.

As the 225-member parliament gathered for the vote, two of Rajapaksa's brothers, including the former prime minister, president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and a nephew, were there. It is anticipated that the process will take hours before a winner is announced.

Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, the head of the left-leaning Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party, is the third candidate in the election. However, his party holds only three seats out of 225, and he has no realistic prospect of winning.

Close Contest

It is not immediately apparent how much support Wickremesinghe, 73, and Alahapperuma, 63, have in parliament.

Wickremesinghe is supported by a portion of the ruling party that held 145 seats at the most recent parliamentary election in 2020. Alahapperuma has the support of the other section and the largest opposition party, which won 54 seats in the previous election. Several minor parties have pledged their support as well.

Because some legislators have become independents, the most recent data are murky.

According to political analyst Jayadeva Uyangoda, "Earlier Ranil Wickremesinghe was the front-runner but now the outcome is much more uncertain,"

"The balance of power in parliament has changed against him. The outcome will rely on the degree of influence the Rajapaksas have on their party members."

In 1993, the Sri Lankan parliament unanimously selected D.B. Wijetunga to complete the term of the deceased President Ranasinghe Premadasa. This time, three candidates are vying to complete Rajapaksa's tenure, which is set to expire in 2024.

"It will be marked as a new experience in the parliamentary history of this country," the communication chief of parliament said in a statement outlining the procedure.

A candidate will be elected if they receive more than one-third of the valid votes cast. If no contender passes the threshold, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated, and the legislators' preferences will ultimately be taken into account to determine a winner.