Wickremesinghe faces uphill challenge

The election by a parliamentary vote of veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new president of Sri Lanka fills the leadership vacuum left by the flight into self-exile of his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa last week. But to what extent Mr Wickremesinghe will be able to restore political stability amid a spiralling economic crisis and vocal street protests remains to be seen.

In many ways, 73-year-old Mr Wickremesinghe has solid credentials for the top job. As a six-time Prime Minister who has spent the better part of 45 years in Parliament, he is one of Sri Lanka's most experienced politicians. He is known as a pro-market reformer who has steered Sri Lanka's economy through several difficult periods in the past. And in foreign policy, he has adroitly managed Sri Lanka's relationships with its most important backers, namely the United States, China, India and Japan.