An opinion poll for July for presidential election voting intent showed that Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe has seen a steady rise in support though he is still behind opposition figures Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa.
A Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) polling by the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) for July 2023 showed a rise in support for Wickremsinghe to 19 percent of likely voters, but he remains well behind leftist National People’s Power (NPP) leader AK Dissanayake and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa at 39 and 33 percent respectively.
The IHP said in a statement that estimates are associated with a margin of error of 1 to 4 percent.
The trends in July largely maintain the pattern from previous months, but the latest data more strongly supports the recent up trend in support for President Wickremesinghe. They also suggest that recent gains in his support have been at the expense of SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, the IHP said.
A separate IHP survey for July showed a general decline for two major opposition parties and modest increases for the ruling party and the president’s party, though the largest share of likely voters remained unwilling to name a party they would support.