Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lanka's Prime Minister

Ranil Wickremesinghe was today sworn in as Sri Lanka's Prime Minister for the fourth time following his party's victory in the parliamentary polls, as the country's two major political parties signed a power- sharing deal to form a national unity government. Wickremesinghe, 66, took the oath of office in a Buddhist ceremony in the presence of Sirisena, cementing an alliance between the two that successfully fought off a comeback bid by ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa. His center-right United National Party (UNP), which won Monday's poll but fell seven seats short of an outright majority, will team up with Sirisena loyalists in the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP).

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has congratulates Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe on being sworn-in as Sri Lanka's Prime Minister. "Congratulations and best wishes to Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe on being sworn-in as Sri Lanka's Prime Minister," the Prime Minister said.