Sri Lanka will vote for a new president on November 17, the island's elections secretariat said today.
Analysts say the election revolves around two key issues: how to cement peace with Tamil Tiger rebels and how to manage the economy.
"The election is on November 17," A. De. Silva, assistant to Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake, said.
He said the commission would invite formal nominations of candidates by October 7th. Left-of-centre Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse is set to face off against his right-of-centre predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe in a vote seen too close to call.
Mr Rajapakse, popular with the Sinhalese Buddhist majority, has aligned himself with hardline Marxists and monks who detest the Tigers, is fervently against privatisation and has vowed to nurture local business to take on foreign competitors.
Business leaders and investors are betting on a win by Mr Wickremesinghe, who is perceived as more market friendly and more likely to reach a permanent peace deal with the Tigers. But many worry he is out of touch with the middle class and poor, who voted him out of power in 2004.