The Sri Lankan Parliament today (July 20) voted interim president Ranil Wickremesinghe as the next President of the crisis-hit country. He won 134 of the total 219 votes that were found valid.
The other candidates in fray were ruling-party lawmaker Dullas Alahapperuma, and leader of the leftist Janatha Vimukti Peramuna party Anura Kumara Dissanayaka.
Official results showed Mr Wickremesinghe polled 134 votes while his main opponent Dullas Alahapperuma getting 82 and Anura Dissanayake just three.
The new president will have a mandate to serve out the rest of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in November 2024.
This is for the first time in 44 years that Sri Lanka’s Parliament will directly elect a president. Presidential elections in 1982, 1988, 1994, 1999, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2019 had elected them by popular vote.
 voted interim president Ranil Wickremesinghe as the next President of the crisis-hit country. He won 134 of the total 219 votes that were found valid.){kind=link}