- Wednesday, March 12, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
SENIOR Sri Lankan politician Dinesh Gunawardena was on Friday (22) sworn in as the 15th prime minister of the island-nation which is currently witnessing an unprecedented economic crisis that has led to civil unrest and political instability.
The 73-year-old, who was once a schoolmate of president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took oath to the top office on Thursday (21) after winning an election in which the parliament voted, took over as the latter put in place his new cabinet.
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The western-educated Gunawardena, who has a vast experience in Sri Lankan politics and governance, has been the country’s foreign and education minister in the recent past and holds the key ministry of home affairs at the moment. The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna leader will replace Wickremesinghe who was the prime minister when Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the president. Rajapaksa fled the country after mass protests against Sri Lanka’s growing economic woes turned violent and resigned from abroad.
Wickremesinghe has called for bipartisanship to address the crisis and has sought a government of unity.
