SRI LANKA: Legendary politician Ranil Wickremesinghe, IS sworn in as Sri Lanka's eighth president on Thursday. He now has the difficult challenge of guiding the nation out of its economic crisis and reestablishing order following months of violent protests.

The 73-year-old Wickremesinghe took the oath of office as Sri Lanka's eighth executive president in front of Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Parliament complex.

The first president of Sri Lanka to be chosen by Parliament after a vote is Wickremesinghe, who assumed office as Acting President when his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country and announced his resignation last week. After the passing of the then-President, R Premadasa, in May 1993, late D B Wijetunga was elected without opposition.

Wickremesinghe, a six-time former prime minister, was chosen as Sri Lanka's president by MPs on Wednesday. This historic action may help maintain momentum in the country's important negotiations with the IMF for a bailout deal.
In the 225-member House, he received 134 votes, compared to Dullas Alahapperuma, the leader of the ruling party's dissident wing, who received 82. Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the left-leaning Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, received just three votes during the voting that took place in Parliament under heavy security.

After months of widespread protests, he must restore order while guiding the nation out of its economic crisis. In the next days, President Wickremesinghe will pick a cabinet of 20 to 25 members. 
Despite the resignations of President Rajapaksa, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa in recent weeks in response to significant anti-government protests, Wickremesinghe's easy victory with the support of the Rajapaksa family's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party demonstrated the Rajapaksa family's firm control over Sri Lankan politics.

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