In the wake of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s departure, Sri Lanka was left with a leadership vacuum that urgently needed filling.
Today (20 Jul), former Prime Minister (PM) Ranil Wickremesinghe officially filled that role after winning more than 60% of MP’s votes.
Source: Ranil Wickremesinghe on Facebook
The 73-year-old reportedly received an absolute majority in a parliament vote count.
Following a voting process in parliament, Mr Wickremesinghe emerged as Sri Lanka’s new president on Wednesday (20 Jul).
Source: @SriLankaTweet on Twitter
According to The Straits Times (ST), Mr Wickremesinghe received 134 votes, which accounted for more than 60% of the total 219 votes.
The other presidential candidates garnered 82 and three votes respectively.
Mr Wickremesinghe entered politics in the late 1970s and served as PM on six occasions, including under the recently-ousted president Rajapaksa.
Addressing the parliament after the unveiling of results, Mr Wickremesinghe reportedly described the victory as an “honour” and “a privilege”.
He also called on all political parties to work together for the common good of the country, reports The Guardian.
Despite winning the presidential vote, it seems Mr Wickeremesinghe has some challenging times ahead.
The BBC noted that Sri Lanka is “effectively bankrupt” and is facing acute shortages of basic supplies such as food and fuel.
Protestors had earlier stormed the former president’s residence and other government buildings. They also burned down Mr Wickeremesinghe’s private home and invaded his PM office.
Defying calls for him to step down, the former PM assumed the role of acting president following Mr Rajapaksa’s departure.
There are also speculations that the results on Wednesday (20 Jul) might lead to more demonstrations.
As he takes up his duties, it seems Mr Wickremesinghe’s immediate focus will be to help Sri Lanka negotiate a bailout from the IMF. He subsequently hopes to also see the country through its “worst political and economic crisis in its history”.
Since Mr Wickremesinghe had served under Mr Rajapaksa, it’s unsurprising that some Sri Lankan residents are unhappy with how the votes turned out.
Looking forward, however, we hope Mr Wickremesinghe will prove his doubters wrong and bring stability back to his country.
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Featured image adapted from World Economic Forum on Flickr.
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