The crisis has already forced one Sri Lankan leader out of office, and a few hundred protesters quickly gathered after the vote to express anger that Ranil Wickremesinghe — a six-time prime minister seen as part of the troubled political establishment — would remain in power. . Sri Lankans have taken to the streets for months to demand their top leaders step down as the country plunged into economic chaos that has left its 22 million people struggling with shortages of essentials including medicine, fuel and food . After protesters stormed the presidential palace and several other government buildings last week, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled and subsequently resigned. Much of the protesters’ anger is focused on Rajapaksa and his family’s political dynasty, which has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades. But many also accuse Wickremesinghe of protecting Rajapaksa, and during protests last week, mobs torched his personal residence and occupied his office. Wednesday’s vote means Wickremesinghe – who was also Rajapaksa’s finance minister and became acting president after the leader fled – will complete a presidential term that ends in 2024. He can now also appoint a new prime minister. “I don’t need to tell you what state our country is in,” Wickremesinghe, 73, told fellow lawmakers after his victory was announced. “People don’t expect old politics from us, they expect us to work together.” He implored the country to move on: “Now that the elections are over, we must end this division.” However, protesters flocked to the presidential residence, chanting “Ranil, go home”. “We are very sad, very disappointed with the 225 members of parliament that we chose to speak for us, which they have not done,” Visaka Jayawware, a performance artist, told the crowd. “We will continue to fight for the people of Sri Lanka. We must call for general elections.” Wickremesinghe has extensive experience in diplomacy and international affairs – he noted on Wednesday that he had spent 45 years of his life in Parliament – and led talks on a bailout package for the bankrupt country with the International Monetary Fund. But many voters have viewed him with suspicion since he was appointed prime minister by Rajapaksa in May, hoping he would restore stability. Protesters accuse Rajapaksa and his powerful family of siphoning money from state coffers and hastening the country’s collapse by mismanaging the economy. The family has denied corruption charges, but the former president has acknowledged that some of his policies contributed to Sri Lanka’s downfall. “The struggle will continue until our demands are met. (Wickremesinghe) has no mandate to rule the country,” said Nemel Jayaweera, an HR professional. “We will oppose him.” However, the ruling party’s majority in Parliament swept Wickremesinghe’s victory in Wednesday’s vote, with 134 votes. Populist Dullas Alahapperuma, a longtime Rajapaksa ally and also a minister in his government, secured 82, while a Marxist candidate won three. The vote, shown on national television, was a decorative, celebratory affair. While the vote was secret, as the results were announced, lawmakers pounded their desks in support of their candidates. After the vote, some supporters celebrated Wickremesinghe’s victory in the streets. He will be sworn in on Thursday. Only a handful of lawmakers had publicly said they would vote for Wickremesinghe given the widespread hostility against him – but dozens of Rajapaksa loyalists were expected to back him because he had assured them he would severely punish protesters who burned politicians’ homes in the riots. On Monday, in his role as acting president, Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency that gave him broad powers to act in the interest of public safety and order. Authorities can investigate and detain people and Wickremesinghe can also change or suspend any law. The political turmoil in Sri Lanka only compounded the economic disaster. However, Wickremesinghe said on Monday that negotiations with the IMF were nearing the end, while talks on aid from other countries had also progressed. He also said that the government has taken steps to solve fuel and cooking gas shortages. Hours before Wednesday’s vote, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told the Nikkei Asia financial magazine that the organization hoped to conclude bailout talks “as soon as possible.” As prime minister, Wickremesinghe delivered weekly speeches to Parliament warning that the road out of the crisis would be difficult, while also pledging to overhaul a government that has increasingly concentrated power under the presidency. Presidents in Sri Lanka are usually elected by the public. The responsibility rests with the Parliament only if the presidency is vacated before the official end of the term. This has only happened once before in Sri Lanka, when then Prime Minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga was elected to Parliament unopposed in 1993 after the assassination of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, father of the current opposition leader.
Associated Press writer Bharatha Mallawarachi contributed to this report.
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