Dinesh Gunawardena takes oath as prime minister of Sri Lanka

Dinesh Gunawardena has been sworn in as the new prime minister of Sri Lanka hours after security forces cleared the main protest site occupied for months by demonstrators angry at the Rajapaksas over the country’s economic collapse.

Dinesh Gunawardena, a 73-year-old seasoned politician and a longtime ally of the Rajapaksa family took the oath in presence of newly appointed President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday.

Gunawardena, the leader of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), has served as an MP, cabinet minister, and leader of the house in parliament of the country.

He has been appointed as the home minister by former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The prime minister’s post fell vacant after Wickremesinghe, 73, was sworn in as the nation’s eighth president on Thursday after winning a parliamentary vote earlier this week.