Sri Lanka's Marxist-leaning leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, grabbed a commanding early lead on Sunday in his bid to become the next president of the debt-ridden country seeking to elect a leader to bolster its fragile economic recovery.

Officials are yet to release the final voting percentage. By 2 pm, more than 60 per cent of the 17 million eligible people had voted.

Voting ends in Sri Lanka's presidential election as it seeks to recover from economic crisis and political upheaval