Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lankan president amid protests | Politics News

Six-time prime minister and veteran politician an unpopular choice among protesters who forced his predecessor out.

Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as Sri Lanka’s eighth president by the country’s chief justice.

The 73-year-old, who has been prime minister six times, took the oath of office on Thursday morning, the president’s media office said.

Wickremesinghe won 134 votes in the 225-member parliament in a secret vote on Wednesday, after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country amid months of protests and a deepening economic crisis.

Protesters have also objected to Wickremesinghe becoming president, saying he is too close to the discredited Rajapaksa family.