Gotabaya Rajapaksa sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president, first military officer to assume office

A day after the Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared the winner in the closely fought election in Sri Lanka, he was sworn in as the new president on Monday.

He is the first military officer to assume the office. He appealed to minority Tamils and Muslims who form about 20 per cent of Sri Lanka's 22 million population- to rally around him.

At 140 BC Ruwanweli Seya Buddhist temple in north-central Sri Lanka, Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya administered the oath of office to Rajapaksa.

In his address to the country, Rajapaksa pledged to give national security priority and follow a neutral foreign policy.

Rajapaksa has a considerable task in lifting the Sri Lankan economy out of doldrums. The country faces a significant debt burden that the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa inherited.

Sri Lankans are looking forward to the same efficiency of management the way Gotabya Rajapaksa's brother and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa ended the war.

They are expecting that he approaches the economy and other issues with the same single-minded drive.

Rajapaksa securing 52.25 per cent of the vote in Saturday's election and defeated Sajith Premadasa of the ruling United National Party (UNP).

Gotabaya campaigned on economic revival and the plank of security. He has vowed to fight corruption and make Sri Lanka safe after deadly Easter Sunday attacks blamed on Muslim groups.