Electoral system for the president

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, The Constitution (as amended up to 15th May 2015), accessed 30 May 2020

94. (1) At the election of the President every voter while casting his vote for any candidate may -

(a) where there are three candidates for election, specify his second preference; and

(b) where there are more than three candidates for election, specify his second and third preferences.

(2) The candidate, if any, who receives more than one-half of the valid votes cast shall be declared elected as President.

(3) Where no candidate is declared elected under paragraph (2) of this Article, the candidate or candidates, other than the candidates who received the highest and second highest number of such votes, shall be eliminated from the contest, and –

(a) the second preference of each voter whose vote had been for a candidate eliminated from the contest, shall, if it is for one or the other of the remaining two candidates, be counted as a vote for such candidate and be added to the votes counted in his favour under paragraph (2) ; and

(b) the third preference of each voter referred to in subparagraph (a) whose second preference is not counted under that sub paragraph shall, if it is for one or the other of the remaining two candidates, be counted as a vote for such candidate and be added to the votes counted in his favour under sub-paragraph (a) and paragraph (2), and the candidate who receives the majority of the votes so counted shall be declared elected as President.

(4) Where an equality is found to exist between the votes received by two or more candidates and the addition of one vote would determine –

(a) which candidate is to be declared elected under this Article ; or

(b) which candidate is not to be eliminated under this Article,

then the determination of the candidate to whom such additional vote shall be deemed to have been given for the purpose of such determination shall be made by lot.

Supplementary vote: Voters can rank up to three candidates, and if no candidate wins a majority in the first round of voting, second and third preferences from ballots whose first preference candidate has been eliminated are used to determine the winner.