Colombo: Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as the ninth President of Sri Lanka on Monday. He is expected to bring the country's economy back on track and end corruption. Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya administered the oath to Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat.
Dissanayake, leader of the National People's Power (NPP), a broad front of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Party, defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in Saturday's election. This is the first election after the massive mass movement in 2022 due to the economic crisis in the country. Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted in this mass movement.
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Dissanayake addressed the nation for the first time after winning the election and thanked former President Ranil Wickremesinghe for respecting the mandate and for a peaceful transfer of power. A few hours before his swearing-in, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardene resigned from his post as part of the transfer of power in the country.
Gunawardene resigned from the post of PM
Gunawardene was holding the post of Prime Minister of this island country since July 2022. In a letter addressed to Dissanayake, Gunawardene said that he is resigning from the post due to the election of a new President and he will create a favorable environment for the formation of a new cabinet.
This morning (23rd), I took oath as the 9th Executive President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in the presence of Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Presidential Secretariat.
I promise to fulfill your responsibility to usher in a new era of Renaissance… pic.twitter.com/TFJuyh9SbC
— Anura Kumara Dissanayake (@anuradisanayake) September 23, 2024
The country's Election Commission had to order a second round of counting for the first time in history on Sunday after no candidate got more than 50 percent of the votes required to win the presidential election.
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Dissanayake won the election by getting 57.4 lakh votes while Premadasa got 45.3 lakh votes. During the election, Dissanayake's anti-corruption message and promise to change the political culture attracted young voters who have been demanding a change in the political system since the economic crisis. (Agency)
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