More than three dozen candidates are vying to lead Sri Lanka out of an economic collapse that led to the 2022 ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Sri Lankans will elect a new president in the first election since mass protests sparked by the country's worst-ever economic crisis unseated the leader in 2022. Saturday's election is widely regarded as a referendum on economic reforms meant to put the country on the road to recovery.

Over 17 million registered voters were expected to vote in the election which had the highest number of candidates with 38 in the fray