Dissanayake, whose popularity has grown in recent years on his anti-corruption and poverty-fighting policies, won the country’s first election since the economic collapse of 2022 sparked protests and forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee and resign.
It was a stunning turnaround for a politician who got just 3% of the vote in the 2019 presidential election.
Dissanayake’s immediate task is to renegotiate part of the $2.9 billion bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund, which included painful austerity measures.
The new president said shortly after taking office that he had no magic solution to solve the difficulties facing the people, but that he would seek a collective effort to end the crisis.
In Sri Lanka, the president heads the cabinet and appoints ministers from among the members of parliament, while the prime minister acts as the president’s representative and leads the ruling party.
Dinesh Gunawardene resigned as prime minister just before Dissanayake was sworn in as president on Monday.
His successor, Amarasuriya, is one of three NPP lawmakers. The former university lecturer also held ministerial posts for judiciary, education and labour.
The remaining interim cabinet roles were shared between the other two.
Amarasuriya campaigned alongside Dissanayake in 2019 and was elected to the National Assembly the following year.
Her career as a public interest activist began in 2011 when she participated in protests demanding free education.
The 54-year-old has since become known for her advocacy on social justice issues including youth development, child protection and gender inequality.
When she was appointed as the 16th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, she became the first academic to hold the position. She follows in the footsteps of two other women, Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, both of whom had family ties to politics. No woman has held the role since 2000.
