Anura Kumara Dissanayake offered his broad leftist coalition as the best hope for a different political culture, one not ruled by nepotism and corruption.

Dissanayake’s win dealt a blow to a political old guard that has been widely blamed for the unprecedented economic crisis that hit the South Asian island nation two years ago.

Tamils form 12% of the country's 22 million population, but have long been electorally sidelined, as most candidates belong to the majority Sinhala population and many Tamils say they have no hope of a better future from those candidates.