Sri Lankan lawmakers today elected Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country’s next president, with hopes that he will be able to Sri Lanka from the economic and political crisis.
“Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected as the 8th executive president under the constitution,” the secretary general of Parliament said after the votes were counted.
Wickremesinghe’s victory, against which many ordinary citizens are opposedcould lead to new protests by citizens angry with the ruling elite after months of severe shortages of fuel, food and medicine, many protesters have said.
“I thank Parliament for this honor,” said Wickremesinghe, 73, a lawyer who has served as Sri Lanka’s prime minister six times. “Our differences are now over,” he declared. He secured 134 votes among the 225 deputies of the Parliament, while his main opponent Doulas Alahaperuma received 82, as reported by international agencies and relayed by the Athens News Agency.
The mood among the protesters was subdued, with only about 100 people on the steps of the presidency secretariat.
“We are shocked. He is the man who handles things in a cunning way,” said protester Damitha Abeyranthe, referring to Wickremesinghe. “He’s going to start controlling us in a different way. As protesters, we will start our struggle again.”
Hundreds of police and soldiers were deployed around the Parliament building, while at least three barricades were set up on the road leading to it. Security personnel patrolled a lake in speedboats around the building, while military jeeps and armored vehicles were parked inside the perimeter.
Wickremesinghe’s experience in senior government positions is expected to work in his favor as he looks for a way out of the Sri Lanka from the financial crisis.
“Our country is facing huge challenges and we need to work on a new strategy to meet the expectations of the world…” Wickremesinghe said after winning the Parliament vote. He recently negotiated with the International Monetary Fund and has a good relationship with countries that are major donors, such as India. But it remains to be seen whether he can quell the mass protests that led to the ouster of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets earlier this month angered by soaring inflation, shortages of fuel and other essential goods, frequent power outages and what is seen as corruption in the ruling elite. While his ire was directed at Rajapaksa, a member of the country’s most powerful political dynasty before the crisis, protesters were calling for Wickremesinghe to step down as well – something he refused to do.
President Wickremesinghe, elected for the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in November 2014, must now choose a prime minister to form a new government. Wickremesinghe took over as interim president last week when Rajapaksa left the country on a military plane for the Maldives and then flew to Singapore.
Source: News Beast
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
