Ranil Wickremesinghe will serve as the country's president until 2024, taking charge of a bankrupt nation where millions of people are enduring shortages of vital goods.
Six-time prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been elected as crisis-wracked Sri Lanka's new president with the backing of the disgraced former leader's party.
More than five out of every six families are eating less food, according to the World Food Programme, while schools and non-essential government institutions are closed for weeks to reduce commuting and save fuel.Motorists queue for hours on the rare occasion petrol or diesel are available, and the country is enduring lengthy power cuts as the government has no money to import oil for generators.
Mr Wickremesinghe has run unsuccessfully for president twice before but secured enough votes among politicians despite controlling just one seat - as leader of the United National Party . When university students at the forefront of the struggle called for a march in Colombo on Tuesday, fewer than 1,000 people turned up, with police estimating the numbers at only a few hundred.
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