colombo sri lanka pm ranil wickremesinghe was sworn in friday as interim president until parliament elects a successor to gotabaya rajapaksa who fled abroad and resigned after mass protests over the countrys economic collapselawmakers were to convene saturday to choose a new leader who would serve the remainder of rajapaksas term which ends in 2024 a tenuous calm was restored in the capital of colombo on thursday after protesters who had occupied government buildings retreated as people celebrated in the streets parliament speaker mahinda yapa abeywardana promised a swift and transparent political process that should be done within a weekafter rajapaksa resigned pressure was rising on pm ranil wickremesinghe to go too his private residence was set ablaze by demonstrators last weekend and his office stormed this week nevertheless the ruling sri lanka podujana peramuna slpp party on friday nominated wickremesinghe to take up the top job fulltimeranil wickremesinghe is not the change we have fought so hard for said wimal jayasuriya 43 a martial arts specialist who is on a hunger strike opposite the prime ministers official residence we will not allow him to be president the slpp parliamentarians should stand with the people and not allow ranil wickremesinghe to become president gotabaya rajapaksa landed in singapore on thursday having fled to the maldives early on wednesday sri lankas top court on friday barred two of his brothers former pm mahinda rajapaksa and former finance minister basil rajapaksa from leaving the country without permission until july 28 according to anticorruption group transparency international sri lanka the group approached the court seeking action against persons responsible for the current economic crisis a lawyer for the brothers did not commentwickremesinghe meanwhile in a televised statement said he would initiate steps to change the constitution to curb presidential powers and strengthen parliament restore law and order and take legal action against insurgents it was unclear to whom he was referring although he said true protesters would not have gotten involved in clashes near parliament on wednesday night when many soldiers reportedly were injured the prime ministers office said wickremesinghe was sworn in friday as interim president by chief justice jayantha jayasuriyawatch ranil wickremesinghe sworn in as acting president of sri lanka