Colombo: Anura Kumar Dissanayake has been officially sworn in as the ninth President of Sri Lanka. The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, where Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya administered the oath of office.
Dissanayake, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party and its broader coalition, the National People’s Power (NPP), won the presidential election by defeating his closest rival, Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party. His victory is seen as a rejection of the corruption and cronyism that have plagued Sri Lankan politics for decades.
In his inaugural address, President Dissanayake emphasized his commitment to establishing a “new clean political culture” and vowed to tackle the country’s economic challenges head-on. “We need to strengthen democracy and ensure good governance,” he stated. “I pledge to work tirelessly to restore the people’s trust in our political system”.
The new president’s agenda includes boosting the economy, eliminating corruption, and promoting unity among Sri Lanka’s diverse communities. He has also committed to continuing the deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help the country recover from its economic crisis while mitigating the impact of austerity measures on the poorest citizens.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena resigned from his post as part of the power transition, paving the way for the dissolution of parliament. Dissanayake has indicated that he plans to dissolve the current parliament soon to align it with the people’s mandate.
The election, which required a second round of counting, saw Dissanayake secure a total of 5,740,179 votes, surpassing Premadasa’s 4,530,902 votes. Outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was eliminated in the first round, congratulated Dissanayake and expressed his hope for a prosperous future for Sri Lanka under the new leadership.
