COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka will vote in a snap general election on Thursday, called by new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to secure a majority in parliament to back his policies in the island nation struggling to recover from a crushing financial crisis.

Sri Lanka's general election sees a shift in political landscape as voters choose representatives amid economic crisis aftermath.

Sri Lanka is set to hold on Thursday its snap parliamentary election – first after the 2022 economic crisis – amid deployment of nearly 90,000 security personnel across the country

Sri Lanka ’s first openly transgender parliamentary candidate aims to foster a more inclusive political culture. Chanu Nimesha, 49, a member of the Socialist Party of Sri Lanka, is contesting from the Kegalle constituency and is focusing her campaign on social justice issues.

This snap election, called by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, comes at a critical time for Sri Lanka, which is still grappling with the aftershocks of its worst economic crisis since independence.

Sri Lanka's new leftist leader has drawn strong support from an unlikely source as he seeks to expand his three parliamentary seats to a house majority in elections on Thursday.

Strong support that Dissanayake secured in the presidential election will likely stay with his party in Thursday’s election, analysts say