Thousands have been taking to the streets against the government for months, and Head of State Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled abroad. Parliament is now appointing Ranil Wickremesinghe as his successor.
Sri Lanka’s parliament on Wednesday elected acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new head of state. The 73-year-old succeeds Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country last week amid mass protests and announced his resignation.
The anti-government protests have been going on for about three months. However, it is unlikely that the country in the Indian Ocean will come to rest. Because Wickremesinghe has been politically active for decades, many see him as an ally of ex-President Rajapaksa. A week ago, he went first to the Maldives and then to Singapore. As a result, Wickremesinghe was made acting president. When he declared a state of emergency “in the interest of public safety” in this capacity at the weekend, it sparked outrage. Various groups have announced protests against its confirmation by Parliament.