Election of unpopular Sri Lankan PM invites more turmoil

By KRISHAN FRANCIS
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan lawmakers have elected the unpopular prime minister as their new president. Wednesday’s choice risked reigniting turmoil in the South Asian nation reeling from economic collapse and months of round-the-clock protests. The crisis has already forced out one leader, and a few hundred protesters quickly gathered after the vote to express their outrage that Ranil Wickremesinghe would stay in power. While the choice invited more protests, lawmakers apparently wanted a safe pair of hands, a politician with deep experience who could lead Sri Lanka out of the crisis. Wickremesinghe has spent 45 years in Parliament and led recent talks seeking a bailout for the bankrupt island nation.