Colombo: Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Anura Kumara has taken his oath of office, while Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has announced his resignation.
According to international news agencies, Dinesh Gunawardena made the announcement of his resignation via his social media accounts.
Gunawardena had assumed the role of Prime Minister on July 22, 2022, at a time when the country was grappling with a severe financial and political crisis, having already defaulted on its debts.
The public had stormed the presidential palace and parliament due to a shortage of dollars, leading to acute shortages of fuel, food, and medicines.
Under the leadership of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Gunawardena implemented several tough measures to navigate the country out of the crisis, including a significant increase in taxes.
An IMF bailout package was approved, but there was pressure to hold new elections to meet strict conditions, so that these decisions could be made by an elected government.
The results of the presidential election were announced yesterday, in which Marxist leader Anura Kumara, who transitioned from military struggle to the political arena, won with 52% of the votes.
The 55-year-old Anura Kumara’s swearing-in ceremony was attended by key political leaders, military officials, and former government ministers, including opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
