Roughly 17 million Sri Lankans are heading to the polls in the first election since one of the country’s worst financial meltdowns, with meaningful repercussions for its economic recovery. After the nation’s debt default in 2022,

Mr. Wickremesinghe, 75, a six-time former prime minister, is a political survivor. His elevation to the presidency in 2022, after the overthrow of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, plucked him out of irrelevance and demonstrated his formidable bargaining powers.

Women make up more than half of the voters in Sri Lanka, but in Saturday’s presidential election, not even one will be on the ballot.