Sri Lanka gets new president in six-time PM Wickremesinghe

Protestors shout slogans during a protest demanding the resignation of Sri Lanka's acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in Colombo, Sri Lanka July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lankan lawmakers voted in acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new president on Wednesday, hoping his long experience in government can help pull the country out of a crippling economic and political crisis.

The six-time prime minister won 134 votes in the 225-member parliament, despite public anger with the ruling elite after months of severe shortages of fuel, food and medicines. A popular uprising ousted his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa last week.