Ranil Wickeremesinghe Is Sri Lanka's New Elected President

Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected as Sri Lanka’s new President by Parliament on Wednesday. He secured 134 votes in the 225-member House while the ruling party leader Dullas Alahapperuma got 82. Leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured just three votes. The new President will have a mandate to serve out the rest of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in November 2024. For the first time in 44 years, Sri Lanka’s Parliament directly elected a president.

Wickremesinghe - an ally of the Rajapaksas - had been nominated by their ruling party the SLPP. Addressing Parliament, President Ranil Wickremesinghe requests the Speaker to allow him to take oath outside the Parliament chamber within the Parliament complex. He says he is willing to commence discussions with all parties from tomorrow.

Presidential elections in 1982, 1988, 1994, 1999, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2019 had elected them by popular vote. The presidency became vacant mid-term in 1993 when president Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated. DB Wijetunga was unanimously endorsed by Parliament to run the balance of Premadasa's term.

It is all known knowledge that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the nation last week amidst protests over the economic crisis in the nation. Now, Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe faces the challenge of leading the nation out of its economic collapse and restoring public order after months of protests.