Sri Lanka's first leftist president was sworn into office on Sept 23 and vowed to restore public faith in politics, but said he had no magic solution to the hardships suffered following an unprecedented economic crisis.
Self-avowed Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the People's Liberation Front (JVP) took his oath at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo after trouncing his rivals in the Sept 21 vote.
The previously fringe politician - whose party led two failed uprisings that left tens of thousands dead - saw a surge of support after the country's 2022 economic meltdown forced painful hardships on ordinary Sri Lankans.
Mr Dissanayake, the bearded 55-year-old son of a labourer, was sworn in by the chief justice in a ceremony attended by lawmakers, members of the Buddhist clergy and the military, who sang the national anthem after the ceremony.
"I am not a conjuror, I am not a magician, I am a common citizen," he said after taking his oath.
"I have strengths and limitations, things I know and things I don't... My responsibility is to be part of a collective effort to end this crisis."
This story is from the September 24, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the September 24, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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