Lawmakers in troubled Sri Lanka choose a new president to replace the ousted leader : NPR
Eranga Jayawardena / AP
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) – Sri Lankan lawmakers selected six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as president on Wednesday to succeed the ousted leader who fled the country in a vote risk of political unrest in this troubled South Asian island nation.
Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister in May, hoping to bring stability to a country mired in the worst economic crisis in memory. Wickremesinghe became acting president after Rajapaksa fled the country last week and resigned via email.
Wickremesinghe, 73 years old, is a seasoned politician with extensive experience in diplomatic and international affairs. He presided over key economic bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and was supported by members of the scattered ruling coalition. But he was unpopular with voters, who saw him as the power holder of the Rajapaksa government.
The vote by 134 lawmakers put Wickremesinghe ahead of former government minister Dullas Alahapperuma, who received 82 votes. The candidates of Marxism have three.