Dinesh Gunawardena was appointed as the new prime minister of Sri Lanka on Friday. He took oath as prime minister of Sri Lanka in the prime minister’s office on Flower Road, Colombo.
Images shared by the Sri Lankan media showed president Ranil Wickremesinghe presiding over the oath taking ceremony.
Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to announce his new cabinet later today. Dinesh Gunwardena is the first of the many faces who are expected to lead the nation out of the economic crisis it finds itself in.
Gunawardena represents the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) from Maharagama as well as Colombo district and entered electoral politics during the 1970s.
Gunawardena has served as a cabinet minister in previous governments. He has served as the foreign minister, transport minister and minister for urban developments and has held several other roles during his political career which spans over five decades.
Sri Lankan media outlets say that Gunawardena is closely associated with the Rajapaksa family, which is likely to dent his credibility.
People of Sri Lanka as well the protesters who have demonstrated demanding a change in Sri Lankan politics following the economic crisis are not ready to accept anyone close to the Rajapaksas in the driving seat.
The protesters and the masses have not taken kindly to the appointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe as president of the island-nation and is unlikely to accept Gunawardena.
Gunawardena earlier was an opponent of Ranil Wickremesinghe when Wickremesinghe was the prime minister under the presidency of Maithripala Sirisena.
(this is a developing story, more details will be added)
