Sri Lankans have voted 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 Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's National People's Power coalition is poised for victory in a snap general election, according to election results. Dissanayake is seeking support for his policies designed to help the country's poor amid a severe financial crisis.

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.