After a long wait in Sri Lanka, which is facing an economic crisis, the country has got a new president. Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe today by the Parliament of Sri Lanka by secret ballot (Ranil Wickremesinghe) Elected as the new President of the country. In the presidential election, 223 MPs voted for him, with 4 rejected and 2 absent. Earlier, voting for the election of the new President in Sri Lanka started at 10 am on Wednesday. There was competition between three candidates for the presidency. In the election, Ranil Wickramasinghe got 134 votes out of 223, while Dallas Alhapperuma got 82 votes and Anura Kumara Disnayake got only 3 votes.
Wickremesinghe became the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka two months ago in May, after the resignation of Gotabaya, he became the acting President of the country. He will now have a mandate to serve out the remainder of Gotabaya’s term, which ends in November 2024.
Secret ballot for presidential election
People took to the streets after the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government’s failure to deal with the country’s worst economic crisis ever, and Gotabaya had to resign as president amid political upheaval and an atmosphere of chaos in the country. The presidential election was held in secret amid tight security.
Acting President Ranil Wickramasinghe, Dallas Alhapperuma and left-wing Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Disnayake were proposed as presidential candidates on Tuesday. For any candidate to win the election, he has to secure more than 113 votes in the country’s 225-member parliament.
After 1978 MPs elected the President
A majority of members of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party have chosen party leader Alhapperuma for the presidency and main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa as prime minister, SLPP president GL Peiris said on Tuesday, a day before the election.
Wickramasinghe (73) was pitted against 63-year-old Alhapperuma and JVP leader Anura Kumara Disnayake (53). Alhapperuma is a Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist and a leading member of a splinter group from the SLPP.
For the first time since 1978 in Sri Lanka, the President was elected by secret ballot by MPs. Earlier in 1993 the post of President fell vacant mid-term, when then President Ransinghe Premadasa was assassinated. At that time DB Wijetunga was unanimously entrusted by Parliament to complete Premadasa’s term.
. Source