Sri Lanka has been going through an unprecedented economic and political crisis.
Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected as the new President of beleaguered Sri Lanka. "The country is in a very difficult situation, we have big challenges ahead," he said after his election.
Sri Lanka has been going through an unprecedented economic and political crisis. The country's foreign exchange reserves have tanked, resulting in massive shortages of essentials including fuel.
Lakhs of people had hit the road against Gotabaya Rajapaksha. As the protests turned violent, he fled the country and resigned as the President of Sri Lanka later.
The voting by secret ballot took place amidst tight security. Wickremesinghe, Dullas Alahapperuma, and Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, were in the fray for the post.
A candidate has to win at least 113 votes for becoming the president of Sri Lanka.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena was the first to vote. The two senior Rajapaksa brothers - Mahinda and Chamal - were also present during the voting.
Wickremesinghe till Tuesday night maintained a close edge as a number of MPs had pledged their support to him while his rival Alahapperuma had received crucial backing from the Opposition parties as well as a majority of lawmakers from his parent party - Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).
Alahapperuma's name was proposed by the Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa and Member of Parliament G L Peiris seconded it. Wickremesinghe's name was proposed by the Leader of the House and Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and MP Manusha Nanayakkara seconded it. Dissanayake's name was proposed by MP Vijitha Herath and MP Harini Amarasuriya seconded it.Wickremesinghe, 73, is seen as the frontrunner as he has the backing of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). He faces a serious challenge from 63-year-old Alahapperuma, who is backed by the main opposition.
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), and All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) have decided to vote for Alahapperuma. However, several lawmakers have said they will not follow the party line and instead vote for Wickremesinghe.
With inputs from PTI
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