Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was elected as the 8th Executive President of Sri Lanka in a parliamentary vote yesterday, will be sworn in this morning (July 21).

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at the parliamentary complex.

Following his victory, Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka is in a very difficult situation and that there are big challenges ahead.

Sri Lanka’s 225-member parliament voted Wickremesinghe in as the new Head of State with a total of 134 votes cast in his favour. Meanwhile, his main opponent SLPP’s dissident MP Dullas Alahapperuma was polled second with 82 votes. NPP leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayaka secured only 03 votes.

Two parliamentary members had abstained from voting while four of the 223 votes cast by the members were meanwhile found invalid.

To be elected for the office of succeeding president, a candidate should get 50% or more votes from the valid number of votes.

Following the conclusion of the counting process, Secretary-General of Parliament, Dhammika Dasanayake announced to the House that Ranil Wickremesinghe was been elected as the 8th Executive President. 

Pursuant to the provisions of the Presidential Elections (Special Provisions) Act (No. 2 of 1981), Wickremesinghe’s appointment was published in a special gazette notification last evening.

Wickremesinghe is thus qualified to hold the office of the President for the remaining term of the presidency, which was left vacant after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa stepped down last week.

Wickremesinghe was appointed the caretaker president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country on a military plane to the Maldives and then took a commercial flight to Singapore.

The 73-year-old has held the office of prime minister six times although he never completed a term. His latest and shortest term in office as the prime minister was when former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed him to the position on July 13 this year, after his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced to step down amidst growing public agitation over economic mismanagement and corruption allegations.