Ranil Wickremesinghe is the new president of Sri Lanka

Content of the article

Sri Lanka’s interim president Ranil Wickremesinghe won a vote in parliament on Wednesday to be the country’s next president until 2024.

He succeeds former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled the country last week and resigned after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest his government’s handling of a crippling economic crisis.

Here are some reactions to his appointment.

CHAMEERA DEDDUWAGE EVENT ORGANIZER:

« What does this mean for the Aragalaya (struggle)? On the one hand, it means that the Aragalaya will have to settle for its main demand, namely the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. It also means that the Aragalaya, in one form or another, will have to find new ways to win our remaining demands. Unlike Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Ranil is not a populist: he is known to be a ruthless pragmatist. I think the immediate concern is the possible prosecution of the main members of the Aragalaya.

Content of the article

LEGAL OF THE OPPOSITION ERAN WICKRAMARATNE ON TWITTER

« I hope the result will facilitate the immediate political stability which is an imperative precondition for stabilizing the economy, so that general elections can be called to restore the people’s mandate thereafter. »

LEGAL DULLAS ALAHAPPERUMA, WICKREMESINGHE’S MAIN RIVAL IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE

“I accept Parliament’s decision. My effort was to support the development of consensus-based policies to bring solutions to a population that is suffering deeply. I believe the space for this still exists and I will continue to work to strengthen this effort and work for the people. It’s just another milestone in my career. I hope that at least now you will cultivate the mentality to listen to the suffering masses. (Compiled by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)