Six-time Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday defeated dissident leader Dullas Alahapperuma and leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake in the presidential election to succeed Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The 73-year-old Sri Lanka leader secured 134 votes in the 225-member House while his nearest rival Alahapperuma got 82. A candidate needed to secure at least 113 votes to win the election. Dissanayake secured just three votes.
Wickremesinghe will have a mandate to serve out the rest of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in November 2024, given the people of Sri Lanka put faith in the new leadership to resolve the severe economic crisis.
Since Wickremesinghe’s candidature was opposed by many ordinary Sri Lankans, the election outcome could lead to more protests by people furious with the ruling elite. Alahapperuma is seen as more acceptable to the protesters and the opposition. However, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) leader does not have any top-level governance experience in a country which is desperately looking towards the IMF for a bailout package.
