Sri Lankan parliamentarians on Wednesday elected unpopular six-time prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country’s new president, risking further protests that could complicate urgent bailout talks with the IMF.
Wickremesinghe won 134 votes in the 225-seat parliament, defeating rebel ruling party MP Dullas Alahapperuma, who got 82 votes and a candidate from a small leftwing party who took three.
Wickremesinghe, who was already acting president, sought to strike a conciliatory tone in a speech following his victory, calling Alahapperuma and other lawmakers to join him “to begin a new journey”. However, he did not specify whether he wanted them to join his government.
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