Presidential candidate Mohammed Ilyas passes away

Election in Sri Lanka

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Mohammed Ilyas, an independent candidate in Sri Lanka’s 2024 Presidential Election, has died at the age of 78.

He passed away last night (August 22) while receiving treatment at Puttalam Hospital after a sudden illness.

During the government of former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Ilyas served as a Member of Parliament.

He filed his nomination on August 15, 2024, to run in the upcoming presidential election and was contesting for the fourth time, having also run in 2010, 2015, and 2019.