Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a left-leaning leader, has been elected Sri Lanka's next president in the country's first election since its economy collapsed in 2022. Mr Dissanayake, popularly known as "AKD," was born into a small farming family in Anuradhapura. His political journey began with his involvement in the student wing of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a Marxist-Leninist party.