Sirisena sworn in as Lanka Prez

Colombo: In a stunning verdict, Sri Lankan voters on Friday ousted President Mahinda Rajapaksa from power, ending a 10-year rule that was marked by allegations of family rule, corruption and authoritarianism and chose his one-time minister Maithripala Sirisena in his place.

Hours after the results were declared, 63-year-old Sirisena, who led a revolt and defected to the opposition camp on the eve of announcement of the elections, was sworn-in as President symbolising a smooth transition of power. Sworn-in along with him was his new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who till now was the leader of opposition. Both of them took the oath of office at a ceremony in the Independence Square. Supreme Court Justice K Sripavan administered the oath to Sirisena.

After swearing-in ceremony, the new President Sirisena promised to mend ties with the international community. "I will ensure I deliver the change I promised. I will strengthen foreign relations to maintain friendly relations with all nations," he said. What was considered impossible till a few weeks ago became possible when the voters showed the door to 69-year-old Rajapaksa, who was suave but ruthless when it came to decimating the dreaded LTTE that had earned him the title of 'King' among the majority Sinhalese and unpopularity with the minority Tamils.