New Sri Lankan president sworn in, police clear protest site
Associated PressCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president Thursday to take charge of a nation bitterly angry that he will remain in power amid an unprecedented economic crisis. But protesters flocked to the presidential office instead, chanting, “Ranil, go home!” Protest leaders told reporters Wednesday that they don’t accept Wickremesinghe’s appointment and urged him to step down immediately. In an example of the troubles caused by Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, a power outage hampered live television coverage of the ceremony in Parliament where Wickremesinghe took his oath as the country’s eighth executive president. She added: “In these challenging times, it will be essential for all parties to redouble efforts to work together to tackle the economic crisis, uphold democracy & accountability, and build a stable & secure future for all Sri Lankans.” Wickremesinghe said Monday that the negotiations with the IMF were near a conclusion and talks on help from other countries had also progressed.