Sri Lanka’s new leftist president was sworn into office Monday after ousting the country’s elites who voters had blamed for bankrupting the nation and imposing harsh austerity measures linked to an International Monetary Fund bailout.

Popularly known as AKD, 56-year-old Marxist leader Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka's ninth president by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. He defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in Saturday's election.

Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lanka’s new president, after his swearing-in

Anura Kumara Dissanayake of Sri Lanka's National People's Power (NPP) was on Sunday elected as the country's new president. Chinese experts said that his victory will likely further boost relations between China and Sri Lanka,

That conflict, between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan state, erupted in 1983. The Tigers eventually had vast areas under their control in their fight for an independent territory in the island's north and east, but were defeated and all but wiped out in a 2009 military offensive.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning politician, has been sworn in as Sri Lanka's new President. Who is he? Why did he join politics? How does he view India? All your questions answered

Sri Lanka's leftist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office as president on Monday, promising change in the island nation long led by powerful political families which is emerging from its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades.

Sri Lanka's new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has taken his oath of office, promising to "rewrite history" for a country that is recovering from its worst economic crisis. The left-leaning Dissanayake has cast himself as a disruptor of the political status quo,

Sri Lankans elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as their new president on Sunday, putting faith in his pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following the South Asian nation’s worst financial crisis in decades.

Sri Lanka has elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake as its 10th President, marking a significant shift after the Rajapaksa family's ousting. His leadership is seen as a beacon of hope amid the ongoing economic crisis and concerns over the nation’s geopolitical alignment between China and India.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake has received messages of congratulations from his main rivals.