Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lankan president

COLOMBO - Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the president of Sri Lanka on Thursday in the parliament before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.

Wickremesinghe was elected as the president in an election held in parliament on Wednesday, during which Wickremesinghe got 134 votes from parliamentarians.

Out of 225 parliamentarians, 223 voted in the ballot and there were four invalid votes.

An official from the President's Office told Xinhua that Wickremesinghe will appoint a new prime minister and cabinet in the coming days.

On Wednesday, Wickremesinghe invited all political parties to join hands with him and work together to overcome the economic crisis and bring in a new political change.

Sri Lanka is in the mid of severe economic turmoil and has sought assistance from the International Monetary Fund and friendly nations to supply basic essentials such as fuel, gas and medicines.