Sri Lanka’s parliament is set to vote in a new president on Wednesday to replace Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country and resigned in the face of escalating protests over the country’s worst economic crisis since independence.
The frontrunner in the race is acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was brought in as prime minister by Gotabaya Rajapaksa after his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down following violent protests in May. He was nominated by the ruling Sri Lanka Podujuna Peramuna Party. If Wickremesinghe wins, this would not sit well with protesters who have demanded he step down due to his connections to the Rajapaksa family. They also contend he has done little to resolve the political and economic crisis.