Wickremesinghe sworn in as Lanka’s President
| Date :22-Jul-2022 |
COLOMBO,
VETERAN politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was on Thursday sworn in as Sri Lanka’s eighth President and will face the tough task of leading the country out of its unprecedented economic crisis and restoring order after months of mass anti-Government protests.
Wickremesinghe, 73, was sworn in as the 8th Executive President of Sri Lanka at the Parliament complex before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya. The three military commanders and Parliamentary speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena were also present during the ceremony. Wickremesinghe, who took over as the Acting President after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapksa fled the country and resigned last week, is the first Sri Lankan President to be elected by Parliament following a vote.
Late D B Wijetunga was elected uncontested in May 1993 after the demise of R Premadasa who was the then President. Wickremesinghe, a six-time former Prime Minister, was elected as Sri Lanka’s President by lawmakers on Wednesday, in a rare move that could provide continuity for crucial discussions with the IMF for a bailout deal for the cash-strapped nation.
He secured 134 votes in the 225-member House while his nearest rival and dissident ruling party leader Dullas Alahapperuma got 82. Leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake secured just three votes. He faces the task of leading the country out of its economic collapse and restoring order after months of mass protests.
A Cabinet of 20-25 members will be appointed within the next few days to serve under President Wickremesinghe, the ‘Daily Mirror’ newspaper reported. Wickremesinghe’s comfortable victory with the backing of the Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party showed the Rajapaksa family’s firm grip on Sri Lankan politics despite the resignations of President Rajapaksa, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa in recent weeks in the face of massive anti-Government protests.
SL President vows to crackdown on protesters: RANIL Wickremesinghe, who was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s eighth President before the Parliament on Thursday, vowed to crackdown on protesters who took over President’s House and Prime Minister’s Office.
Wickremesinghe, who was elected with 134 votes in the parliament on Wednesday said “forcibly occupying the President’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office under the guise of engaging in the people’s struggle was illegal.”
He vowed that legal action would be initiated against those who occupied the President and PM’s offices by force.
