• Sri Lanka’s Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as president.
• He is widely despised by the public, but some protesters have stated that they will give him a chance.
• Many people blame the Rajapaksa administration for mismanaging the country’s finances.

Sri Lanka’s Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as president, with hopes that he will help the country’s economy.

On Thursday, the 73-year-old took his oath of office at the heavily guarded parliament complex.

Mr Wickremesinghe, the former prime minister, is widely despised by the public, but some protesters have stated that they will give him a chance.

An economic crisis has caused months of unrest in Sri Lanka.

Many people blame the Rajapaksa administration for mismanaging the country’s finances, and Mr Wickremesinghe is seen as part of the problem. However, there were few protests on the streets the day after Mr Wickremesinghe was elected to parliament.

“He’s arrived, and we’ll see what he does. We’ll be on the streets if we don’t get food and medicine “According to one woman who participated in last week’s protests.

Mr Wickremesinghe, who was elected with the support of Rajapaksa’s ruling party, the Sri Lanka People’s Front (SLPP), took pains to distance himself from the old leaders.

“I am not a friend of the Rajapaksas. I am a friend of the people,” he told reporters on Wednesday after defeating his main rival – a dissident SLPP MP – by 134 votes to 82.

On Thursday, the opposition indicated a willingness to collaborate with Mr Wickremesinghe. According to local media, his cabinet will most likely include opposition MPs.

Many protesters, however, have expressed despair and disappointment at the victory of a Rajapaksa-allied politician.

“I am absolutely disgusted at the result… I cannot believe that 134 people – MPs that are supposed to represent the people – have completely disregarded the wants of the people,” activist Jeana De Zoysa told the reputed media organization.

Mr Wickremesinghe’s message was clear soon after he was elected president.

Any attempt to overthrow the government or occupy government buildings, he said, is not democratic, and those who engage in such activities will be dealt with harshly under the law. Mr Wickremesinghe stated that he supports peaceful protests.

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The protest movement must now make difficult decisions about whether to wait for Mr Wickremesinghe to calm down and present his economic revival plan.

Many protesters were dissatisfied with his selection and questioned how a politician who couldn’t defend his own parliamentary seat two years ago could be appointed as the country’s leader.

Mr Wickremesinghe denied having close ties to the Rajapaksa family. However, his detractors question why the Rajapaksas’ governing alliance would nominate him and help him win the presidency despite the fact that Mr Wickremesinghe was the lone MP from his own party.

Some are concerned that the government will eventually crack down on the protest movement.

A close relationship between Mr. Wickremesinghe and the Rajapaksa family was denied by him. Though Mr. Wickremesinghe was the lone MP from his own party, his detractors wonder why the Rajapaksas’ ruling coalition would nominate him and aid in his victory for president.

Some people are worried that eventually the government may start to repress the protest movement.

In the early hours of July 13, after protesters had surrounded and taken over his political residence, Mr. Rajapaksa left the nation. He took a plane to Singapore, then to the Maldives before announcing his formal resignation.

When Mr. Rajapaksa escaped, Mr. Wickremesinghe, who had initially offered to do so, chose to remain in office as Acting President.

After protesters stormed and occupied government buildings last week, he took over as acting president and instructed the military to take whatever action was required to restore peace.

To put an end to any flare-ups, he also extended a national state of emergency order this week.

Mr. Wickremesinghe, a former six-term prime minister, lost his first two bids for the presidency. He will complete the remainder of the presidential term, which runs through November 2024, thanks to his victory on Wednesday.

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