Anura Dissanayake takes oath as 10th president of Sri Lanka

National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka's 10th president on Monday (Sep 23) during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.Dissanayake tookoath to the office before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya which was broadcast live.

Dissanayake emerged victorious over his closest rival, Sajith Premadasa, by a margin of approximately 10 percentage points, as reported by the official count from the Sri Lanka Election Commission.

Speaking after taking the oath,Dissanayake saidhe had no magic solution to the hardships the country was facing but vowed to end the crisis.

"I am not a conjurer, I am not a magician, I am a common citizen.I have strengths and limitations, things I know and things I don't. My responsibility is to be part of a collective effort to end this crisis."

Dissanayake, with his Marxist leanings, has replaced outgoing Ranil Wickremesinghe who could not make it to the second round of vote counting.Dissanayake was elected in the first polls after the island country went through its worst economic crisis in 2022 when millions took to the streets to hold the government accountable.

"The dream we have nurtured for centuries is finally coming true. This achievement is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you. Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory belongs to all of us," Dissanayake wrote on X after being elected.

The dream we have nurtured for centuries is finally coming true. This achievement is not the result of any single person’s work, but the collective effort of hundreds of thousands of you. Your commitment has brought us this far, and for that, I am deeply grateful. This victory… pic.twitter.com/N7fBN1YbQA

While Dissanayake took the oath, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena tendered his resignation, having taken over the post in July 2022 whenformer president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and quit in the face of widespread protests.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulatedDissanayake soon after he was sworn in as the president.

Watch |Sri Lanka Election: Wickremesinghe says Handing Over 'Beloved Child Of Sri Lanka'

Who isDissanayake?

Dissanayake,contested as a candidate for the NPPalliance, which includes his Marxist-leaning Janatha Vimukthi Peremuna Party (JVP) that has traditionally backed stronger state intervention, lower taxesand more closed market economic policies.

Dissanayake was one of the prominent voices that engineered the anti-government protests in 2022 in the wake of a loan default and massive cost of living crisis.He made rousing speeches during the 2022 protests, known in Sinhalese as 'Aragalaya' or struggle.

UnderDissanayake, the NPP has proposed tobreak away from the cycle of corruption and mismanagement that has plagued the island nation for years.

As for his economic policies,Dissanayake has vowed not to scrap thecountry's unpopular four-year $2.9 billion IMF (International Monetary Fund) bailout agreement but said he would renegotiate it.

He has also pledged to reduce income taxes that were doubled by Wickremesinghe and slash sales taxes on food and medicines.

(With inputs from agencies)