Although Dissanayake's Janatha Vimukthi Peremuna (JVP) party has just three seats in parliament, the 55-year-old candidate has been boosted by his promises of tough anti-corruption measures and bigger welfare schemes.

By Uditha Jayasinghe and Sudipto Ganguly COLOMBO (Reuters) -Millions of Sri Lankans were casting their votes on Saturday to elect a president who will face the task of bolstering the South Asian country's fragile economic recovery following its worst financial crisis in decades.

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.