Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as 8th Executive President of Sri Lanka

July 21, 2022 at 10:11 AM

United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the 8th Executive President of Sri Lanka today.

Upon arrival at the Parliament, he was escorted into the Parliament by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. 

He took oaths before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Parliamentary complex.

Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected the 8th Executive President following a secret ballot that was held in Parliament yesterday. 

The 73-year-old has been the leader of the United National Party (UNP) since 1994.

He served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in six separate stints, from 1993 to 1994, 2001 to 2004, 2015 to 2018, 2018 to 2019, and in 2022.

President Wickremesinghe also served as Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2015.

Entering active politics in the mid-1970s with the UNP, he was first elected to Parliament from the Biyagama electorate in the 1977 parliamentary elections and was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He was thereafter appointed as the Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment, becoming the youngest Cabinet Minister in Sri Lanka.

The newly elected President contested the 2020 parliamentary election but failed to secure a seat in Parliament.

He re-entered Parliament as a National List MP of the United National Party and was sworn in as a member of parliament on 23 June 2021.

In May 2022, Wickremesinghe was re-appointed as prime minister by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, following the resignation of Mahinda Rajapaksa due to public protests.

Wickremesinghe became the acting president on 13 July 2022, after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country.

Upon his election as the 8th Executive President, Ranil Wickremesinghe requested to be sworn in at the Parliamentary complex.

He also called on all political parties to work together to resolve the current issues in the country, adding that he was prepared to commence discussions from today. (NewsWire)