Below are short profiles of the five key candidates: A lawyer who has served as prime minister a record six times, Wickremesinghe's party holds only one seat in parliament and will need to drum up support from key parties to bolster his chances.

Sri Lankans will vote for a new president in a tightly contested election on Saturday, with the outcome expected to determine the fate of fragile economic recovery led by incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe who is facing off with left-leaning rivals.