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.

Sri Lanka's National People's Power (NPP) party, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, is poised to win a majority in the recent parliamentary elections. With over 62% of the vote, the NPP has secured 52 seats so far,

Sri Lanka began counting votes cast on Thursday in a snap general election that will decide if the Indian Ocean island nation will give its new leftist president greater legislative power to help the poor as it recovers from a financial meltdown.