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Sri Lanka's new president pledges not to run for second term

Xinhua, January 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Firecrackers and huge crowds greeted the oath taking of Sri Lanka's new president Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe here on Friday with the former pledging to just one term.

Sirisena won a tightly contested race against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who conceded defeat in the early hours of Friday morning when vote tallies gave Sirisena an unassailable lead of over 400,000 votes.

Justice K. Sripavan, the most senior judge of the Supreme Court, delivered the oath to Sirisena at Independence Square where Sri Lankans gathered by the thousands to glimpse their new leader.

Sirisena presented a flower basket before a Buddha statute before taking oaths. He was flanked by party supporters that included former President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The new president then swore in opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new prime minister.

"Today all of us I believe are very happy as Sri Lankans. I thank those voters as well as all Sri Lankans," he said addressing the nation after taking oaths.

"The public have appointed me to this position with great trust. As such I will not run for a second term. You chose to change the diseased political environment of this country and I will honor this mandate and carry out my responsibilities with deep integrity, " he said at the inauguration.

The new president also reiterated his request for a peaceful transition of power.

A fresh cabinet is expected to be appointed over the weekend.

Rajapaksa called for early elections last November with two years to go before the end of his second term, seeking an unprecedented third term in power despite growing criticism of corruption and family rule.

Sirisena was Rajapaksa's health minister before crossing over to become the candidate of the coalition opposition, which gathered together the Tamil and Muslim minorities as well.

Sirisena has a difficult time ahead of him, which includes carrying out his core promise of rolling back the powers of the executive presidency within 100 days. He has also pledged constitutional change that will see the appointment of a parliament style of governance under a prime minister. Endi