Sri Lankan Parliament elects Ranil Wickremesinghe as President
Wickremesinghe — a six-time former prime minister and key ally of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa — won a parliamentary ballot after his predecessor fled the country amid escalating protests over an As voting was taking place, a small group of protesters gathered on the steps of the Presidential Secretariat — the president’s office — to demonstrate against Wickremesinghe’s nomination. Some chanted, “Ranil go home” in anger when the result was announced. Many protesters insist only a complete overhaul of government will satisfy their demands.Everyday life for most Sri Lankans remains a hardship. Streets in the commercial capital of Colombo are largely empty, with people queuing outside gas stations for hours, desperately hoping to buy fuel. Many businesses are shut and supermarket shelves are increasingly barren. On Monday, Wickremesinghe appeared to distance himself from Rajapaksa, telling CNN that the former administration had tried to cover up facts about Sri Lanka’s crippling financial crisis.Rajapaksa’s government had not admitted that Sri Lanka was “bankrupt” and “needed to go to the International Monetary Fund,” Wickremesinghe said. “I would like to tell the people I know what they are suffering,” he added. “We don’t need five years or 10 years. By the end of next year let’s start stabilizing, and certainly by 2024 let’s have a functioning economy which will start growing.”His nearest challenger in Wednesday’s vote was former journalist Dullas Alahapperuma, who received 82 votes, while a third candidate, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, received three votes.All eyes are now on Wickremesinghe and ongoing bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund as he attempts to navigate the worst economic crisis the country has seen in seven decades and keep a lid on the protests.
