Gotabaya Rajapaksa sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president

Desk Report

Published: 18 Nov 2019, 03:44 pm

Sri Lanka's president elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa waves to supporters as he leaves the election commission after the announcement of his victory in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Nov.17, 2019. Photo: AP

Sri Lanka's president elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa waves to supporters as he leaves the election commission after the announcement of his victory in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Nov.17, 2019. Photo: AP

Former defense official Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been sworn in as the new president of Sri Lanka and appealed to the minority Tamil and Muslim communities who voted against him to rally around him.

Rajapaksa is credited with helping to end a long civil war and comfortably won last Saturday’s presidential election. But minorities feared his election over human rights allegations against him dating from the war.

Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya administered the oath of office to Rajapaksa at the 140 B.C Ruwanweli Seya Buddhist temple in ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura in north-central Sri Lanka.

In his address to the nation Monday, he also pledged to give national security priority and follow a neutral foreign policy.

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