Sri Lanka’s right-wing President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who seeks re-election in today’s ballots, describes himself as the “designated survivor” capable of salvaging the economically troubled nation.
Critics, however, say the 75-year-old six-time prime minister has been the beneficiary of circumstances, rising the ranks via power vacuums left by assassinations and resignations.
That saw him take the top job in 2022, when parliament rescued him from political oblivion and elected him as interim leader, after strongman Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted as president by protesters furious at the country’s financial collapse.
Wickremesinghe, an ex-journalist turned lawyer, said he had achieved his dream “to be president even for one day”. The free-market reformist says he needs another term to push through tough austerity measures to support the $2.9 billion IMF bailout loan he negotiated.
Sri Lanka secured a deal Thursday with international bondholders to finalise a prolonged debt restructure. Wickremesinghe portrays himself as a veteran leader able to restore the island’s economy to a stable footing, after inflation spiked to 70 percent and dire food and fuel shortages.
