In Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as the Ninth Executive President today, while the cabinet of the new government is expected to take the oath of office tomorrow. In the cabinet, Harini Amarasuriya, Vijitha Herath and Lakshman Nipun Arachchi are expected to be named as Ministers.

In his inaugural address, the President acknowledged the challenges that lie before his government and called for collective effort from all stakeholders in the country. The President also highlighted the importance of global cooperation for the recovery of the fragile economy of the island.

Lakshman Nipun Arachchi was named as the MP in place of Mr Dissanayake as he vacated his Parliament seat. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena resigned from office in the wake of the electoral loss of Ranil Wickremasinghe. The New Cabinet is expected to be sworn in tomorrow.

This was Sri Lanka’s first election since its economy buckled in 2022 under a severe foreign exchange shortage.