In connection with a ceremony on Monday, Dissanayake emphasizes that a "collective effort" is required to get economically crisis-ridden Sri Lanka back on track.
I'm no wizard, I'm no magician, I'm an ordinary citizen, he says.
Dissanayake succeeds Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose tough tax hikes made the economy grow but pushed millions of Sri Lankans towards poverty. The president before him, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was forced to flee the country after large protests against the harsh, Christian living conditions that prevailed in the country after economic mismanagement and decline during the pandemic.
India and China – Sri Lanka's closest neighbor and largest creditor, respectively – are competing for influence in the country, not least due to the island nation's strategic location in the middle of the trade route between east and west.
After Dissanayake's election victory, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he hopes for strengthened cooperation with Sri Lanka "for the benefit of our people and our region". China's Xi Jinping, on the other hand, hopes to "continue our ancient friendship and strengthen mutual political trust".
