Sri Lanka Picks Ex-Leader’s Ally as President, Risking Fury
- Wickremesinghe remains deeply unpopular among the protesters
- The new leader has the support of Rajapaksa’s allies
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Ranil Wickremesinghe was voted in as Sri Lanka’s president backed by a majority of lawmakers from ousted leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s party, a development that could reignite street protests in the bankrupt nation and scuttle bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund.
Wickremesinghe, 73, beat Dullas Alahapperuma, an opposition-backed candidate who had the support from a faction within the ruling party, and left-leaning lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the opposition Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. He secured 134, or more than 50%, of the votes cast in parliament on Wednesday.