Sri Lanka’s parliament elects new president opposed by many

Sri Lanka’s acting President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, will be the country’s next president until 2024 after winning a parliamentary vote on Wednesday despite fierce public opposition to his candidacy.

The win for Mr Wickremesinghe, one of the main two contenders but opposed by many Sri Lankans, may lead to more demonstrations by people furious with the ruling elite after months of crippling shortages of fuel, food and medicines.

Mr Wickremesinghe became acting president last week after then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to Singapore when hundreds of thousands of people came out on the streets against his administration and occupied his official residence and office. Protesters also burned down Mr Wickremesinghe’s private home and stormed his office.

However, Mr Wickremesinghe (73), a lawyer who served as Sri Lanka’s prime minister a record six times, has now finally made it to the top job.

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[ Ranil Wickremesinghe: The wily fox elected Sri Lanka’s new president ]

“I thank parliament for this honour,” he said after his victory was announced by the secretary-general of the legislature. He secured 134 votes in the 225-membr house, while his main rival, ruling party legislator Dullas Alahapperuma, got 82.

Mr Wickremesinghe’s rise to power is remarkable. He has ran unsuccessfully for president twice before but secured enough votes among legislators despite controlling just one seat — as leader of the United National Party.

His experience in senior government positions, and a reputation as a shrewd operator that earned him the nickname “the fox”, should count in his favour as he seeks a way out of Sri Lanka’s devastating economic crisis.

Mr Wickremesinghe has also recently negotiated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and enjoys a working relationship with key donor countries including India. Whether he can quell mass protests that led to the ouster of Mr Rajapaksa remains to be seen.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets earlier this month to vent their fury at soaring inflation, shortages of fuel and other vital goods, regular power blackouts and what they see as corruption among the ruling elite.

Sri Lankan authorities had ringed parliament with heavy security on Wednesday as legislators prepared to choose between three candidates for president, hoping the new leader could pull the island out of a crippling economic and political crisis.

The other main candidate, ruling party legislator Mr Alahapperuma, was more acceptable to the protesters and the opposition. However, he does not have any top-level governance experience in a country with barely any dollars for imports and desperately in need of an IMF bailout.

The third candidate, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, the leader of the leftist Janatha Vimukti Peramuna party, commanded only three seats in the 225-member parliament and has no realistic chance of winning. — Reuters