Sri Lanka, a country of over 22 million people, is gearing up for a crucial presidential election on Saturday, but despite women comprising more than half of the voter base, no female candidates will be on the ballot. More than 17 million Sri Lankans are eligible to vote, including nearly 9 million women, yet none will have the opportunity to vote for gender representation. This absence of women on the ballot has disappointed some, including first-time voter Sandami Nimesha, a 20-year-old IT student. She expressed that while the president should address public concerns regardless of gender, a female president might pay more attention to issues affecting women.

The election is shaping up as a tight three-way race between incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, and parliamentarian Anura Dissanayake, head of a Marxist-led coalition gaining in popularity. Results are expected on Sunday. Although Sri Lanka introduced universal suffrage in 1931, politics on the island have been dominated by men, a trend reflected globally—according to a 2023 Pew Research Center analysis, only 13 out of 193 UN member states have women as heads of government.

Sri Lanka has seen women in prominent leadership roles before. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world’s first elected female prime minister, took office in 1960, and her daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga, served as the country’s first and only female president from 1994 to 2005. However, both women came from political families, with many female leaders in Sri Lanka entering politics following the death or assassination of male relatives, particularly during the country’s civil war.

Despite a 2016 law requiring local councils to include at least 25% women, women's political representation remains low. Activist Sepali Kottegoda, founder of the Women and Media Collective in Colombo, believes that the lack of female candidates reflects the deeply entrenched patriarchy within Sri Lanka’s political system, where men hold power and seldom step aside to allow women to advance. Kottegoda's organization pushed for the 25% quota at the local level and is now advocating for similar measures in the 255-member Parliament, where women currently hold only 5.3% of the seats.

In 2019, Ajantha Perera, a scientist and academic, became the first woman in two decades to run for president but was defeated by Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was later ousted in 2022 due to his administration’s handling of the country’s economic crisis. Perera lamented the absence of female candidates in this election but remains hopeful that a strong female contender will run for president in the future.

The election takes place at a pivotal time for Sri Lanka as it seeks to recover from its worst financial crisis in decades. The 2022 economic meltdown, triggered by a foreign exchange shortage, led to severe shortages of essentials like fuel, medicine, and food, and ultimately forced then-President Rajapaksa to resign. Although the country has shown signs of recovery, supported by a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the cost of living remains a significant issue for many voters.

Polling stations opened early Saturday morning, with more than 13,000 locations set up across the country and 250,000 public officials managing the process. Sri Lanka’s ranked voting system allows voters to select three preferred candidates. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a second round is held between the top two candidates, with the preferential votes redistributed, a likely outcome in this closely contested race.

President Wickremesinghe, who voted alongside his wife in Colombo, emphasized the importance of maintaining political stability and continuing the country’s economic recovery under the IMF program, which runs until 2027. Meanwhile, opposition candidate Dissanayake cast his vote at a temple and expressed optimism that the election will change the course of Sri Lanka's history.

Counting begins after polls close, with results expected on Sunday. The winner will face the monumental task of ensuring economic stability, attracting investors, and helping millions of Sri Lankans out of crisis-induced poverty.