Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lankan president amid protests

Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as Sri Lanka’s eighth president by the country’s chief justice.

The 73-year-old, who has been prime minister six times, took the oath of office on Thursday morning, the president’s media office said.

Wickremesinghe won 134 votes in the 225-member parliament in a secret vote on Wednesday, after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country amid months of protests and a deepening economic crisis.

Protesters have also objected to Wickremesinghe becoming president, saying he is too close to the discredited Rajapaksa family.

<<Aljazeera>>