UPDATE 2 - Coalition led by Sri Lanka's president wins 2/3 majority in parliament

UPDATES WITH OFFICIAL COUNT OF SRI LANKAN PARLIAMENTARY POLLS, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Alperen Aktas and Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - The National People’s Power (NPP) coalition of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won a sweeping victory in the country’s general election with 159 seats, the official electoral count showed on Friday.

The NPP won 141 seats through direct vote plus 18 seats on a proportional basis, according to a notification from the nation's Election Commission shared with Anadolu by Bimal Rathnayake, a senior aide to Dissanayake.​​​​​​

Dissanayake's NPP, which had just three seats in the outgoing ninth parliament, secured 61.59% of total votes cast, the notification showed.

According to the Election Commission, the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), led by Sajith Premadasa, won 40 seats, including five on a proportional basis.

"Thank you to all who voted for a renaissance!” said Dissanayake as the election results poured in.

Millions of people cast ballots to elect 225 lawmakers on Sunday, 196 lawmakers through direct vote with the remaining 29 decided on a party proportional basis.

Over 17 million voters were eligible to cast votes, choosing among more than 8,000 candidates.

A party needs 113 seats to form a government on its own in the Sri Lankan parliament. Any seat count above 150 stands for a two-thirds majority.

Dissanayake, 55, won the presidential elections in September and a day after his swearing-in called for snap polls on Nov. 14.