Newly-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa picks his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president, to be the interim prime minister.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa spearheaded the military operation that ended his country's years-long insurgency but alienated minorities along the way.
Newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa can now appoint a caretaker government, dissolve Parliament next March and force new elections, or wait until next August when Parliament’s term ends.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a retired lieutenant colonel, nicknamed the "Terminator" by his own family, won 53-54 percent of the vote as his main rival Sajith Premadasa of the ruling party conceded the race.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will not be seeking a second term, paving the way for a record 35 candidates competing for the top job.
Sri Lanka goes to the polls on Saturday, and a minority vote could decide who will eventually rule the tiny island country.
Maithripala Sirisena has decided not to seek reelection next month. Meanwhile, the 35 candidates for the presidency are the most ever in Sri Lanka.
Sluggish economic growth, national security, endemic corruption and deep ethnic and religious divisions in the South Asian nation will be key issues at the upcoming polls.
The tiny island nation's Muslim minority continues to face discrimination since the deadly bombings in April.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena summoned an emergency meeting of his cabinet on Friday night to oppose the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the April 21 attacks that killed 258 people and wounded nearly 500.
President Maithripala Sirisena orders emergency for another 30 days, citing "public security," a month after deadly Easter bombings killed 258 people.
Sir Lankan Muslim women question the new face veil ban imposed by the government after the Easter Sunday terror attacks, while some of them call it a misstep that encourages anti-Muslim sentiment.
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