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Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lanka's new PM

Xinhua, August 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sri Lanka's United National Front (UNF) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday took oath as the nation's new prime minister before President Maithripala Sirisena at a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.

Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the country's prime minister for the fourth time after he last ruled from 2001 to 2004.

His UNF won a parliamentary election on Monday, defeating the opposition United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) by winning 106 seats in a 225 member parliament.

Wickremesinghe's main opponent Mahinda Rajapakse and his UPFA won 95 seats, failing to secure a majority.

After the ceremony, the general secretaries of the opposition Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) who is the biggest coalition partner in the UPFA, and the UNF signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to form a united government and work together in the next parliament.

The SLFP, headed by President Sirisena, on Thursday announced that it would join the UNF for two years and if the united government is successful, then it would continue. "If not, we will withdraw at the end of two years," SLFP senior member A.H.M. Fowzie said.

Wickremesinghe ranked first in the preferential votes list by winning more than 500,000 votes from the Colombo District through which he contested the parliamentary elections. His opponent Mahinda Rajapakse was placed second by winning more than 400,000 votes.

Rajapakse attended Friday's ceremony despite holding a bitter relationship with President Sirisena and the UNF.

The former president has said he will enter parliament as an MP and sit in the opposition benches to safeguard the nation and the democratic system.

Sri Lanka's new parliament is expected to convene on September 1. Endi