Colombo

Dinesh Gunawardena on Friday took oath as Sri Lanka's 15^th prime minister.

The 73-year-old Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Member of Parliament was sworn in by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Gunawardena had been appointed Home Minister in April by then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

With Gotabaya fleeing the country and resigning from his position, earlier prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the eighth President of Sri Lanka on July 21 following a secret parliament ballot.

According to reports the previous cabinet of ministers who functioned under Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe will also be sworn in on Friday.

Discussions to form a national government will take place once parliament reconvenes on July 27.

Meanwhile protests against new political dispensation continued in the island nation.

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A large number of protestors confronted armed security personnel as the latter setup barricades outside the premises of the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.