Sri Lanka’s former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has been confirmed as the embattled nation’s new president after MPs took it to a vote yesterday. Thanks to the support of his ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, Wickremesinghe defeated opposition party rival Dullus Alahapperuma 134 votes to 82. The 6-time PM replaces Gotabaya Rajapaksa but is an unpopular figure with protesters. They burned down his private home and stormed his office in Colombo last week to pressure him to resign over the nation’s economic collapse alongside his close colleague Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe had promised to go, but the latest vote means he has an opportunity to carry out the rest of the presidential term, which ends in November 2024. A new wave of demonstrations led by locals furious with months-long shortages of food, fuel and medicine in the bankrupt country is expected. #SquizShortcut