Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed prime minister in May 2022, but was temporarily placed in charge of the presidency on 13 July after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives. Sri Lanka is in the midst of an economic crisis and is unable to pay for critical imports such as food, fuel and medicine. Mr Rajapaksa fled after thousands of protesters stormed his presidential residences and other government buildings, demanding his resignation. Sri Lankans had previously called on Mr Wickremesinghe to resign as prime minister, with protesters burning his private home and storming the prime minister’s office in Colombo. Mr Wickremesinghe defeated his main rival for the post, Dalus Alahapperuma, by 134 votes to 82. After his election, the new leader told MPs that Sri Lanka was “in a very difficult situation”, adding that “we have big challenges ahead of us”. He will hope to restore political stability so that Sri Lanka can resume negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package after talks recently stalled. But his election could spark further protests with opponents calling for Mr Wickremesinghe to resign. He has previously served as Prime Minister six times and has been involved in Sri Lankan politics for 45 years. Image: Ranil Wickremesinghe was formerly the Prime Minister Around 100 people gathered on the steps of the presidential secretariat, with one protester saying he was “shocked”. “He is a person who handles things in a very cunning way,” protester Damitha Abeyrathne said of Mr Wickremesinghe. “It will begin to control us in a different way. As protesters, we will start our struggle again.”

Analysis

          Dominic Waghorn

International Affairs Editor @DominicWaghorn The news from parliament shocked the protesters. MPs were voting to replace hated president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had been ousted. The protesters expected to vote for a government of national unity. Instead, they chose a man seen as a subject of the Rajapaksa clan. Ranil Wickremesinghe is despised by the protesters. His election has sparked frustration and anger – many lost for words. But what happens next depends on the public’s appetite for more protest.
Will people stay home and give Wickremesinghe a chance to save their collapsing economy? Or will they return to the streets in the numbers we saw last week, occupy government buildings again and demand meaningful change? Chameera Dedduwage, an organizer of previous protests, said one of the movement’s aims was to remove Mr Rajapaksa and with that achieved, “he should be satisfied with his primary demand”. “Unlike GR, Ranil is not a populist: he is known to be a ruthless pragmatist,” said Mr Dudduwage. Image: While some were shocked by the result, others celebrated the decision Following the result, the speaker, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, adjourned parliament until July 27.