(This article is authored by Alar)

Securing 134 triumphant votes, Ranil Wickremesinghe won over Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s (SLPP) Dullas Alahapperuma and the other contender Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). Wickremesinghe has been the leader of the United National Party since 1994. Earlier he served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1993 to 1994, 2001 to 2004, 2015 to 2018, and 2018 to 2019. He was chosen as a constituent of the parliament in 1977.

Wickremesinghe had been serving as acting President after Gotabaya Rajapakasa resigned from his post following across-the-board rallies in the country. Earlier, the protesters also took over and demolished his private residence, as he is now in the state of reviving the trust of Srilankan people and stablilize the country in all economic and essential needs. 

Of the total 225 members of parliament, 223 MPs voted from which 4 votes were found invalid. Of the 219 votes that were counted. The vote share for the top three contenders, where Ranil Wickremesinghe got 134 votes; Dullas Alahapperuma got 82 votes; Anura Kumara Dissanayake got 3 votes. 

After 1978, the parliament on wednesday had voted directly to elect Ranil Wikremesinghe as a new President of Srilanka in the history of presidency. The 73-year-old six-time prime minister and the new President will have a mandate to serve out the rest of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in November 2024 in the island nation.