Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist politician, was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s president on Monday after an election where voters rejected the traditional political leaders blamed for the country’s economic crisis. Dissanayake, 55, representing the National People’s Power coalition, won the election, defeating outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, and 35 other candidates.
The election took place as Sri Lanka tries to recover from a major economic crisis that caused shortages of basic items like food, medicines, cooking gas, and fuel in 2022. This crisis led to huge protests, which forced the former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to leave the country and resign.
In a short speech after taking office, Dissanayake promised to work with others to tackle the country’s problems. “We clearly understand that we are taking over a country facing many challenges,” Dissanayake said.
Dissanayake said, “We don’t think that one government, one party, or one person can solve this big crisis.”
He added, “Our politics must be more honest, and the people want a new way of doing politics. I am ready to work for that change.”
Shashi Rai
