Over 17 million voters are set to decide the country's president. The vote comes after Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt 2022, triggering the worst economic crisis in decades.Polling stations opened in Sri Lanka on Saturday for the first presidential election since the 2022 economic crisis, which led to the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. More than 17 million people are expected to vote, with results anticipated by Sunday. Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0130 GMT) and are scheduled to close at 4 p.m. Economic recovery has been the central issue of the campaign, with the government having restructured over $17 billion (€15.2 billion) of its debt. Sri Lanka's economy buckled in 2022 when it defaulted on its foreign debt, following a severe foreign exchange shortage. Who are the main candidates competing? Of the 38 candidates competing in the presidential election, all eyes are on just three who have a high chance of success. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the current president and member of the United National Party (UNP), is seeking re-election after stabilizing the economy with an International Monetary Fund austerity plan, though his popularity has waned due to the high cost of living. "We must continue with reforms to end bankruptcy," Wickremesinghe said at his final rally this week. Sajith Premadasa, leader of the opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), promises to ease the burden on the poor. In the 2019 election, he finished second with 41.99% of the vote. Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist candidate, has presented himself as an alternative to the traditional system, attracting young voters with his promise to overhaul the country’s "corrupt" political landscape. His party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), staged two armed revolutions against the government in the 1970s and 1980s. Missing female representation Sri Lanka's presidential election will not have a single woman on the ballot this year, even though women make up more than half of its 17 million eligible voters. None of the record 38 candidates running for the presidency are women. The problem does not just affect the presidential office, women also only make up around 5% of the 255-member parliament. "The main political parties are so male-oriented, and so many men on the top hold power, that they don't find it convenient to step aside and allow women party members to come up and contest," Women's rights activist Sepali Kottegoda told the Associated Press. The country's politics has largely been male-dominated since universal suffrage was introduced in 1931, in line with the patriarchal structure of Sri-Lankan society. Women have been able to get to positions of power on the island, including the role of both prime minister and president. Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world's first female prime minister in 1960, however, this only came after her husband was assassinated while holding that role. She managed to win reelection and held the job for two more terms. Her daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga, then also went on to become Sri Lanka's first and only female president, holding the post between 1994 and 2005. fmf/rmt,ab (AFP, AP, Reuters)