( January 9, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Sri Lanka President-Elect Maithiripala Sirisena was sworn in as the 6th Executive President of ‘Sri Lanka’ before Justice K. Sripavan on Friday at the Independence Square in Colombo on Friday evening around 6.20 p.m. Mr Maithiripala had declined to take oath before the current Sri Lankan Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, who is considered as a political appointee after the impeachment motion against the 43rd Chief Justice Ms Shiranee Bandaranayke, news sources in Colombo said. Later, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, the president of the United National Party and the leader of the opposition in the current SL parliament took oath as the Prime Minister before the SL President Maithiripala Sirisena at the same venue.
Justice K. Sripavan is a Tamil and a senior most judge in the Sri Lankan Supreme Court.
Article 32 (1) of the SL Constitution specifies that the President elect should be sworn in before the Chief Justice or any judge of the Supreme Court. It has been the practice of all predecessors to take oath before the Chief Justice.
Maithiripala Sirisena addressing the event said: "I will discharge my duties taking into consideration of the future of the future generation. I have no intention of becoming President for another term. I thank UNP, Jathika Hela Urumaya, Tamil National Alliance, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and other political parties that had nominated me as the common candidate of the opposition and especially the former President Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga. I thank the outgoing President Mahinda Rajapakse also."
In the meantime, TNA Parliamentary Group Leader R.Sampanthan, in a media release said that it was essential to resolve the national question urgently while tackling the grave matters that face the country. He thanked the voters in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
“New President Maithripala Sirisena has to urgently address many of the grave issues faced by the country such as the resolution of the national question so that the Tamil-speaking people of Sri Lanka will be the true beneficiaries of democracy,” he said.
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