Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake leads early official results in Sri Lanka's presidential election, according to tallies released on Sunday by the Election Commission, but he is still short of the 50% needed for victory.

The election, contested by 38 candidates, was largely a three-way race between Dissanayake, Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.

A single Republican state senator appears to be holding back a push by Donald J. Trump to net a potentially pivotal electoral vote even before ballots are cast.