By Libby George, Karin Strohecker and Uditha Jayasinghe LONDON (Reuters) -Sri Lanka reached a draft deal with creditors to restructure $12.5 billion of international bonds, it said on Thursday, in a major boost to the island nation's fragile recovery just two days before its presidential election.

Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe did not scrap his re-election campaign days before the bankrupt nation voted in the first poll since its economic collapse, contrary to claims spread online.

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.