Sri Lanka’s PM sworn in as interim president after Rajapaksa resigns

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, right, greets Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya during the oath-taking ceremony in Colombo (Sri Lankan President’s Office via AP)

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as Sri Lanka’s interim president until Parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned after mass protests over the country’s economic collapse forced him from office.

The speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament said lawmakers will convene on Saturday to choose a new leader after Mr Rajapaksa resigned.