Sri Lanka’s Ranil Wickremesinghe Wins Presidency Despite Opposition From Protestors

Topline

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe—who was serving as the country’s interim president—was voted into power as the new president by the country’s lawmakers on Wednesday despite his candidacy facing strong opposition from anti-government protesters as the South Asian nation is embroiled in economic turmoil.

Key Facts

Key Background

In May, widespread protests broke out across Sri Lanka after the country’s economy spiraled into a crisis as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, a slump in food production and a drop in inward foreign remittances. People have had to deal with crippling food and fuel shortages while the Sri Lankan Rupee has shrunk in value by almost 80% since the start of 2022. The ire of the protestors was focused on Sri Lanka’s most powerful political dynasty, the Rajapaksas. Mahinda Rajapaksa—a two-term president who was serving as Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister—resigned in May. Mahinda’s brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa initially tried to hold on to power as president but intense protests forced him to flee the country last week on board an air force plane and then submit his resignation. Their younger brother Basil Rajapaksa—who served as finance minister—was prevented from leaving the country by immigration officials. Wickremesinghe took over as Prime Minister in May and then as interim president last week after which he swiftly moved to crack down on the protestors by triggering a state of emergency and giving police and security forces sweeping powers to make arrests and detain people.

Crucial Quote

“Our country is facing massive challenges and we have to work on a new strategy to fulfill the aspirations of the people. Now, everyone must come together,” Wickremesinghe said after winning the election, Reuters reported.

What To Watch For

Last week, protestors called for Wickremesinghe’s resignation after he took over as Sri Lanka’s interim president and declared a state of emergency. Wednesday’s election result could trigger another wave of protests across the country. Before the results were announced, a large group of people had gathered in front of the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo for a silent protest against Wickremesinghe. However, one of the protest organizers, Chameera Dedduwage, told Reuters demonstrators “will have to be satisfied with [their] primary demand” which was the removal of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa from power.

Further Reading

Sri Lanka gets new president in Wickremesinghe, protests muted (Reuters)