Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as President of Sri Lanka

The six-time former Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as the new President of Sri Lanka

Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the new president of the island nation after he defeated his rival Dullus Alahapperuma with134 votes to 82 in a parliamentary vote held yesterday on 20th July.

The crisis-hit island nation has had a change in leadership as former President Gotabaya Rajapaksha fled the country after his resignation and Ranil Wickremesinghe was assumed as the interim president until a new president was voted in by the island’s parliament.

Advertisement

Gotabaya resigned on the 13th of July after a mob stormed into the Presidential palace in Colombo as the country undergoes food, fuel and energy shortages after a series of foreign debt repayment due to a crunch in foreign exchange combined with gross economic mismanagement.

The former president was soon spotted in the Maldives and currently is in Singapore. Where he was granted a 14-day short-term visit pass (STVP). The Singapore government has stated that the former president is on a private visit.

According to a report by PTI, anti-government protests continued against the new president. As protesters assembled outside the presidential palace and chanted the slogans “Go back Ranil”.

Wickremesinghe faces the tough task of leading the country out of economic ruin. And restoring law and order after months of public protests and demonstrations.

In the meantime, India has reiterated its support for the Sri Lankan people’s quest for stability and economic recovery. Moreover, through democratic means and values, established democratic institutions and constitutional framework. This statement comes shortly after hours of Wickremesinghe being elected as the new leader of the country.