New President of Sri Lanka sworn in

Colombo, Jul 21 (Prensa Latina) The newly elected president of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, took the oath of office in Parliament today before the head of the Supreme Court, Jayantha Jayasuriya.

July 21, 2022
11:09

Wickremesinghe, who served as acting president for a week after Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned amidst public protests on July 14, won the elections in Parliament. This was the first time in Sri Lankan history that a vote was held in the legislative house to elect a Head of State.

Prior to this, Sri Lankan Parliament chose the country’s top leader unanimously without the need for a vote after the assassination of President Ranasinghe Premadasa back in 1993.

Previous presidential elections in Sri Lanka were all the result of popular suffrage.

The new head of state received 134 votes, while his closest rival, left-wing politician Dullus Alahapperuma, got 82, among the 223 legislators who participated in the vote.

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