Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new prime minister by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who had pledged to form a new government to end political instability.

Wickremesinghe, the 73-year-old leader of United National Party (UNP), was appointed prime minister after he held closed-door talks with Rajapaksa on Wednesday.

Wickremesinghe is widely accepted as a man who could manage the economy with far-sighted policies and is perceived as the Sri Lankan politician who could command international cooperation.