Latest Ranil Wickremesinghe News

Sri Lankan president seeks party win in parliamentary election to help him push his economic reforms

Nov. 12, 2024 23:46 PM EST

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is looking to consolidate his party's power in Thursday's parliamentary election to help him implement his election pledges to solve the country's economic woes and foster good governance. The Marxist-leaning...

Sri Lanka's new president says he'll restart talks with the IMF to find a way out of economic crisis

Sep. 25, 2024 20:38 PM EDT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka's new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Wednesday that he will soon resume discussions with the International Monetary Fund and foreign creditors to plot a way out of the worst economic crisis in the country's history. “We expect to...

Sri Lanka's new president calls a parliamentary election for November to consolidate his mandate

Sep. 25, 2024 01:40 AM EDT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake dissolved Parliament late Tuesday and called for a parliamentary election in less than two months in an effort to consolidate power after his weekend election victory. A government notification said that...

Who is Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lanka's new Marxist president?

Sep. 23, 2024 07:24 AM EDT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Marxist politician Anura Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s presidential election over the weekend, dealing a blow to a political old guard that has been widely blamed for the unprecedented economic crisis that hit the South Asian island nation two years ago. ...

Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake sworn in as Sri Lanka's president

Sep. 23, 2024 07:08 AM EDT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Marxist politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka's president on Monday after an election that saw voters reject an old guard accused of leading the country into economic crisis. Dissanayake, 55, who ran as head of the Marxist-leaning...

Marxist Dissanayake wins Sri Lanka's presidential election as voters reject old guard

Sep. 22, 2024 23:31 PM EDT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s presidential election, the Election Commission announced Sunday, after voters rejected the old political guard that has been widely accused of pushing the South Asian nation into economic ruin. ...

Vote count underway in Sri Lanka's presidential election after years of turmoil

Sep. 21, 2024 12:39 PM EDT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Voting ended in Sri Lanka's presidential election Saturday as the country seeks to recover from the worst economic crisis in its history and the resulting political upheaval. The election, contested by 38 candidates, was largely a three-way race among...

Sri Lanka has more women voters than men but no female presidential candidates

Sep. 21, 2024 00:45 AM EDT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Women make up more than half of the voters in Sri Lanka, but not a single one will be on the ballot in Saturday’s presidential election. The island nation of more than 22 million people is voting for a president to take its economy forward after it went...

Sri Lanka's presidential election a test for current leader, 2 years after its economy hit bottom

Sep. 19, 2024 09:55 AM EDT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Two years ago, food cart worker Fathima Shiyama had to wait in line, sometimes for days, to get cooking gas, fuel and other essentials. It was a test of patience for her and millions of other Sri Lankans as their country languished in economic and political chaos. ...