Ranil Wickremesinghe News

Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning president has sworn in a 22-member Cabinet after his party secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority in last week's election

National People's Power (NPP) party led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has taken an unassailable lead in the parliamentary election held on Thursday. As of 6 am local time Friday, the NPP had garnered a near 62 per cent or over 4.4 million of the votes nationally. They have secured 35 of the 196 seats on offer under proportional representation from districts. The main opposition, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), and the National Democratic Front (NDF), backed by former president Ranil Wickremesinghe, have been decimated to 18 and under 5 per cent respectively. The SJB has won 8 seats while the NDP has bagged a solitary seat. The Rajapaksa family's Sri Lanka People's Front (SLPP) despite being placed fourth in terms of votes has garnered 2 seats.

India-Sri Lanka ties" with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and assured continued support to the island nation's economic rebuilding. During his day-long visit, less than a fortnight after President Dissanayake was sworn in, Jaishankar also met Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, his counterpart Vijitha Herath, Sajith Premadasa, Sri Lanka's leader of the opposition from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya party and former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe. Jaishankar is the first foreign dignitary to visit Sri Lanka since the National People's Power (NPP) government led by Dissanayake came to power on September 23. Sri Lanka is India's key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and occupies a special place in its initiatives such as 'SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the 'Neighbourhood First Policy.'

Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says that he will soon resume discussions with the International Monetary Fund and foreign creditors to plot a way out of the worst economic crisis in the country’s history

Anura Kumara Dissanayake has emerged as Sri Lanka’s newly elected president, securing 42% of the vote in the country's first election since the 2022 economic collapse. The 55-year-old leader of the National People’s Power (NPP) coalition defeated his main rival, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who garnered 23% of the vote, while outgoing President Ranil Wickremesinghe trailed in third. The election witnessed a high voter turnout, with 76% of Sri Lanka’s 17.1 million electorate participating in what is seen as a crucial vote for the country's future.

Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won Sri Lanka’s presidential election as voters rejected the old political guard that has been widely accused of pushing the nation into economic ruin

Sri Lanka voted for its next president Saturday in an effective referendum on an unpopular IMF austerity plan enacted after the nation's unprecedented financial crisis. Turnout was nearly 70% an hour before polling stations shut at 1030 GMT, an election commission official said, citing provisional figures. The record for voter turnout in a Sri Lankan presidential election was set in 2019 with 83.72%. President Ranil Wickremesinghe is fighting an uphill battle for a fresh mandate to continue belt-tightening measures that stabilised the economy and ended months of food, fuel and medicine shortages. His two years in office restored calm to the streets after civil unrest spurred by the downturn in 2022 saw thousands storm the compound of his predecessor, who promptly fled the country. «I've taken this country out of bankruptcy,» Wickremesinghe, 75, said after casting his ballot. «I will now deliver Sri Lanka a developed economy, developed social system and developed political system.»

Voting has ended in Sri Lanka’s presidential election as it seeks to recover from the worst economic crisis in its history and the resulting political upheaval

Sri Lankans who usually vote along religious and ethnic lines will be keeping another factor in mind when they vote Saturday on a new president

Sri Lanka will hold its presidential election Sept. 21 in a crucial vote that will decide the future course of the South Asian nation still struggling to recover from its economic collapse in 2022, which provoked mass protests and forced the former pre...

Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) on Friday signed the Charter and the MoU for the Establishment of the CSC Secretariat in the Sri Lankan capital eyeing to create stability in the Southern and Western Indian Ocean region amid growing strategic interests of big powers and terrorism in the region. The Signing Ceremony was hosted in Colombo by the Government of Sri Lanka. Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser, Lt. Col (Retd), Ibrahim Latheef, National Security Advisor of Maldives; Haymandoyal Dillum, High Commissioner of Mauritius to Sri Lanka and Sagala Ratnayake, National Security Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka signed the documents on behalf of the respective Member States.

Sri Lanka will hold a presidential election on Sept. 21 that will likely be a test of confidence in President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s efforts to resolve the country’s worst economic crisis

Daily Mirror, quoted the Lankan civil aviation minister T D Abeysuriya as saying there were no “suitable suitors" for the country’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines.  The minister hinted that the government may shelve its plans to sell the airline, and instead take on some of its debt and restructure it. SriLankan and Sri Lanka find themselves in a position that Air India and the government of India were in not too long ago. For years the Sri Lankan government has been bailing out its national carrier, which has a huge debt burden.

oath of office and secrecy to Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers on June 9 at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Modi is set to begin his third consecutive term as Prime Minister, a historic moment in Indian politics. The ceremony, attended by thousands of dignitaries, will feature extensive security measures to ensure safety.

Narendra Modi will invite some neighbouring countries to his swearing-in ceremony on June 8, said people familiar with the matter on Wednesday. These nations include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Mauritius. The caretaker PM has already invited Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe for his oath-taking ceremony.

Leaders of India’s three neighbours — Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka on Tuesday evening sent congratulatory messages to PM Narendra Modi on winning third term in office and leading NDA to victory.

Sri Lanka's powerful Rajapaksa clan, which suffered political battering due to the country's worst economic crisis in 2022, will launch its political comeback bid on Sunday by targeting the impending elections. Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, ex-prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa were ousted from power during anti-government protests following the crippling financial and political crisis in 2022. The ruling Sri Lanka People's Front of the Rajapaksas, commonly known by its Sinhalese name Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), will hold a public rally later in the day in the north central rural town of Thalawa, party member and former minister SM Chandrasena told reporters.

Sri Lanka will hold presidential election between September 17 and October 16, the country's top electoral body announced on Thursday. In a notice signed by its chairman R M A L Ratnayake, the Election Commission said it will call for nominations to hold the Presidential election within the specified timeframe in terms of the provisions of the Constitution, according to local media reports. It said that the presidential election will be held on a day between September 17 and October 16.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi says his country has proven the West doesn’t have a monopoly on technology while inaugurating a hydropower and irrigation project in Sri Lanka

Unified Payment Interface (UPI) services were rolled out in Sri Lanka and Mauritius on Monday during a virtual ceremony attended by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and the top leadership of the two island nations, underlying New Delhi's leadership in the Indian Ocean Region. India's RuPay card services were also launched in Mauritius. Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and PM Pravind Jugnauth of Mauritius were present on the occasion. Jugnauth said the co-branded RuPay card would be designated as a domestic card in Mauritius. Calling it a special day, Modi said, «Today we are connecting our historical relations in a modern digital way. This is proof of our commitment to the development of our people. Through fintech connectivity, not only cross-border transactions but also cross-border connections will be strengthened. India's Unified Payments Interface, that is UPI, is now performing a new responsibility — Uniting Partners with India.»

UPI in Mauritius, Sri Lanka: The Unified Payment Interface (UPI) services was launched in Sri Lanka and Mauritius, as announced by the Ministry of External Affairs on February 12 at 1 pm. India has successfully initiated its Unified Payment Interface (UPI) services in Sri Lanka and Mauritius, accompanied by the introduction of RuPay card services in Mauritius as part of a strategic endeavour.