Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected as President of Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan parliament on Wednesday. This move is likely to anger the protestors who have been fighting fo rhis removal from office for weeks.
Wickremesinghe is a six-time prime minister and was a strong ally to the former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He received 134 of 223 votes in parliament after President Rajapaksa fled the country due to protests sparked by an economic crisis. Protesters set Wickremesinghe’s residence on fire in protests earlier this month in one of their many attempts to overthrow the government. When Rajapaksa had fled the country, Wickremesinghe had promised to resign, something that had calmed the protesters. This appointment could possibly inflame the situation one more time.
Read more: Sri Lankan Parliament elects Ranil Wickremesinghe as President, but some protesters vow to fight on
