After facing many task and callapse Rani Wickremesinghe has been elected as the new President of Sri Lanka. He defeated Dullus Alahapperum with 134 votes to 82 in the parliament.
The 73 years old Mr Wickremesinghe has been in Sri Lanka politics for 45 years and has run the presidency twice before and been prime minister six times.
In a statement GS Kariyawasam said “We feel that Ranil Wickremesinghe is the only person with the experience, the know-how and the capacity to provide solutions to the economic crisis,” General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam told the Reuters news agency.
After his win as new President Mr Wickremesinghe told the parliament the nation was in a very difficult situation adding there were big challenges ahead. He also called his opponents to work for his government for the good of the country, aiming to restore political stability so the country can resume negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a ballot of package.
Sri Lanka economic crisis has led to outrage on the street, soaring inflation has meant some food, medication and fuel are in short supply. In September 2021, Sri Lanka declared a state of Economic Emergency. Thousands of anti-government protesters in Sri Lanka on barged into embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence. The country is also struggling under a severe foreign exchange shortage. Inflation reached a record 54.6% in June and is expected to hit 70% in the coming months.
Know About Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka is an island nation off southern India. It won independence from British rule in 1948. Three ethnic groups – Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim – make up 99% of the country’s 22 million population. The president is the head of state, government and the military in Sri Lanka, but does share a lot of executive responsibilities with the prime minister, who heads up the ruling party in parliament.
