COLOMBO — Sri Lanka's first leftist president was sworn into office Monday vowing to restore public faith in politics but said he had no magic solution to the hardships suffered by the nation following an unprecedented economic crisis.
Self-avowed Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayaka of the People's Liberation Front (JVP) took his oath at the colonial-era Presidential Secretariat in Colombo after trouncing his nearest rivals in Saturday's vote.
DAUNTING CHALLENGE A photo provided by the Sri Lanka President's Office shows newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka attending his swearing-in ceremony, in Colombo, on Sept. 23, 2024. AFP Photo