Sri Lankans began voting on Thursday in a snap general election to 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.

Sri Lankans voted in a parliamentary election Thursday that is key for the country's new, Marxist-leaning president to consolidate his party's power and follow through on promises of economic recovery.

Sri Lanka Votes for New Parliament as Economic Recovery Hangs in Balance By Uditha Jayasinghe COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka holds a snap election on Thursday which will determine if the South Asian island nation wants to empower its new, leftist President ...