Opposition leader and former premier Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka's 26th prime minister on Thursday, days after his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced to resign following violent protests over the worst economic crisis in the debt-ridden island nation.

The 73-year-old United National Party (UNP) leader took an oath before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at a ceremony in the president's office after they held closed-door discussions over the formation of a new government to address the economic crisis.

"My best wishes to the newly appointed PM of #LKA, @RW_UNP, who stepped up to take on the challenging task of steering our country through a very turbulent time. I look forward to working together with him to make Sri Lanka strong again," President Gotabaya tweeted along with a picture of him and Wickremesinghe.

Wickremesinghe later said that he looks forward to closer ties with India during his term and thanked India for its economic assistance to the country as it tackles the worst economic crisis since independence.

"I want a closer relationship and I want to thank Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, Wickremesinghe said," referring to the Indian economic assistance to his country.

His remarks came during a religious ceremony after he took the oath. India on Thursday said it looked forward to working with the new Sri Lankan government formed in accordance with the democratic processes and New Delhi's commitment to the people of the island nation will continue. India has committed more than USD 3 billion to debt-ridden Sri Lanka in loans, credit lines and credit swaps since January this year.

The Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay became the first foreign envoy to call on the new Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and discussed with him the current situation in the country amid the worst economic crisis, according to sources here.

However, some opposition parties have vowed to oppose the new PM's appointment. Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara extend any support to Wickremesinghe. The party has 54 seats in the 225-member Parliament, will meet to discuss the motion against the President

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Tamil National Alliance also opposed his appointment, saying it was unconstitutional. Both parties have 3 and 10 seats respectively.

First Published:May 13, 2022 4:36 PM IST