Sri Lanka holds a snap election on Thursday which will determine if the South Asian island nation wants to empower its new, leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to push his anti-poverty policies as it recovers from a financial meltdown.

Sri Lankans are heading to the polls today for a crucial parliamentary election that will determine the future political landscape of the island nation. This election is pivotal for President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his National People’s Power (NPP) party,

Sri Lankans are voting in a parliamentary election that's key for their new, Marxist-leaning president to consolidate his party’s power and follow through on promises of economic recovery