APD | New Sri Lankan President assumes duties

By APD writer Easwaran

**COLOMBO, Nov. 19 (APD) -- **New Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed duties on Tuesday at the Presidential Secretariat.

He assumed duties in the presence of former President Maithripala Sirisena and several opposition members.

As part of his first duties he appointed a new Secretary to the President and a new Defence Secretary.

Rajapaksa appointed Major General Kamal Gunaratne as the new Defence Secretary.

Gunaratne was the former General Officer Commanding of a key Army division and a former Deputy Ambassador to Brazil.

Rajapaksa won the Presidential election over the weekend and was sworn in as President on Monday.

Rajapaksa had secured 52% percent of the total votes at the Presidential election, which was 6,924,255.

Rajapaksa defeated Sajith Premadasa in a hotly contested election on Sunday, marking the return of the powerful Rajapaksa dynasty known for its pro-China tilt.

China on Monday congratulated Gotabaya Rajapaksa on his election as Sri Lankan President, saying it is ready to work with him for “greater progress” in bilateral strategic ties and ensure “high-quality” projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Press Trust of India reported.

Asked for his comment on Rajapaksa’s victory, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters that “Sri Lanka has successfully held Presidential election, which is a major political agenda at home. We are pleased to see that and offer our sincere congratulations to Gotabaya Rajapaksa on his success”.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)