Anura Kumar Dissanayake sworn in as Sri Lankan president

Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka's ninth president on Monday, amid hopes that he will bolster the country's economy and eliminate corruption.

IMAGE: Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the National People's Power (NPP) party, greets as he leaves the election commission, in Colombo, on September 22, 2024. Photograph: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

Dissanayake, 56, was sworn in by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Presidential Secretariat.

Dissanayake, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party's broader front National People's Power (NPP), defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in Saturday's election.

The election was the first to be held since mass protests unseated Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022 after the country suffered an economic crisis.

In his inaugural address to the nation, Dissanayake thanked outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe for respecting the people's mandate and facilitating a peaceful transfer of power.

His swearing-in comes hours after Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena resigned from his post as part of a power transition in the country following the presidential election.

The country's Election Commission had to order an unprecedented second round of counting on Sunday after no candidate secured over 50 per cent votes needed to be declared the winner of Saturday's election.

Dissanayake won the election obtaining 5.74 million votes, with 105,264 preferences. Premadasa got 4.53 million votes with 167,867 preferences.

Dissanayake's anti-corruption message and his promise of a change in political culture resonated strongly with young voters who had been demanding system change since the economic crisis.