The 73-year-old received 134 of the 219 valid votes, earning the support of his fellow parliamentarians, who then chose him.
Digital Desk: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected as the country’s new president whose duties he had been performing since the latter fled the country amid political turmoil.
The 73-year-old received 134 of the 219 valid votes, earning the support of his fellow parliamentarians, who then chose him. Other notable competitors Dullas Alahapperuma (82) of the ruling party and Anura Kumara Dissanayake (3) of the left-leaning Janatha Vimukti Peramuna party placed second and third, respectively.
Wickremesinghe was chosen by the government's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), but 63-year-old Alahapperuma, who had the support of the opposition, presented a strong opponent.
However, protesters have repeatedly demanded that former prime minister and current president Ranil Wickremesinghe resign from his office due to the full crisis the nation is currently in as a result of ongoing food and fuel shortages.
Now that Wickremesinghe is the official leader of the nation, he must take on the herculean task of reviving the economy and winning back the trust of the populace. According to Gopal Baglay, the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, India will help the country recover "early and effectively."
He further said that India, which has already provided around $4 billion in aid to Sri Lanka, would also bring additional investment to the island nation in order to reconstruct its crumbling infrastructure and economy.
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