Wickremesinghe, who is the leader of the United National Party (UNP), has already served four terms as prime minister earlier. He was appointed by incumbent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on May 12 after days of hectic political drama and deadly clashes that hit the streets with the President’s brother and former PM stepping down earlier this week

The PM resigned shortly after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters in Colombo, leading to over 150 injuries. Later in the day, violence broke out in many parts of the country