Rajapaksa, who is credited with helping end the country’s long civil war, comfortably won Saturday’s presidential election. But minorities feared his election because of allegations of human rights violations against him dating from the war.
Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya administered the oath of office to Rajapaksa at the ancient Ruwanweli Seya Buddhist temple in north-central Sri Lanka. “We knew from the beginning that our majority Sinhala people will be the biggest factor in our victory,” Rajapaksa said in an address to the nation.
“Even though I knew I could win the presidential election with the support of the Sinhala people alone, I made a special request to Tamil and Muslim people to be partners in that victory. But their response was not to my expectation,” he said.
“But as your new president I ask you again to rally around me as true Sri Lankans for the sake of the future development of our country.”
Sri Lanka's newly elected president Gotabaya Rajapaksa addresses the nation after his swearing-in ceremony held at the 140 B.C Ruwanweli Seya Buddhist temple in the ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura in northcentral Sri Lanka
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