new president
COLOMBO
Sri Lanka elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as its new president on Sunday, putting faith in the 55-year-old’s pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following its worst financial crisis in decades. Dissanayake, who does not possess political lineage like some of his rivals in the presidential election, led from start to finish during the counting of ballots, knocking out incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa to become Sri Lanka’s 10th president.
Sri Lanka’s president-elect on Sunday invited his compatriots to help him “rewrite” history in the cash-strapped island nation after winning a vote coloured by discontent over an unprecedented financial crisis.
Dissanayake, the once-fringe leader, whose party won less than 4% of the vote in parliamentary elections four years ago, saw a surge of support as the economic meltdown forced widespread hardships upon Sri Lankans.
