Sri Lanka's parliament on Wednesday elected Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country's new president to replace Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled abroad after angry demonstrators stormed his palace.
“CNN”, a US news network, reported that members of Parliament elected Wickremesinghe with 134 votes to 82, thus completing the presidential term of his predecessor Rajapaksa, which ends in November 2024.
Wickremesinghe temporarily assumed the presidency last Friday after Rajapaksa fled abroad last Wednesday and announced his resignation after months of mass protests against the country's economic collapse.
It is noteworthy that Sri Lanka is mired in an unprecedented economic crisis that has led to a state of political uncertainty.
Sri Lanka suffers from a shortage of funds to pay for imports of basic necessities such as food, fertilizers, medicine, and fuel for its 22 million people.
The country is seeking help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other creditors, but senior officials say its finances are so poor that getting a bailout has become difficult.
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