July 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Dinesh Gunawardena took office this Friday as the new prime minister of Sri Lanka, one day after the former incumbent, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was sworn in as the new president after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country amid a massive wave of protests.
Gunawardena, who was listed as the favorite to occupy the position and high position of the Sri Lankan Popular Front government, has been sworn in at a ceremony in which the new president was present, according to the Sri Lankan newspaper ‘Daily Mirror’.
The new Prime Minister is a familiar face in Sri Lankan politics and has been Minister of Transport (2000-2001), Urban Development (2004-2010), Water Supply (2010-2015), Foreign Affairs (2019-2021), Education ( 2021-April 2022) and Public Administration, for which he was appointed in April.
The event was held hours after the security forces dismantled a protest camp in the city of Colombo, the former capital and the most populous in the country. The police intervention has resulted in at least nine detainees and two injuries.
Wickremesinghe, 73, became the country’s eighth president on Thursday, after serving for several days on an interim basis after being appointed by Rajapaksa. The protesters have also demanded the resignation of the now president, who has asked the opposition to join forces to overcome the crisis.
Rajapaksa gave in after months of protests over rising prices, lack of food, medicine and fuel, which has left the small Asian island facing its worst economic crisis since it gained independence from British colonial rule.
The popular revolution has brought down the Rajapaksa family, after Gotabaya forced his brother Mahinda to step down as prime minister in early May in an attempt to end the protests.
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