Colombo: Maithripala Sirisena was sworn in as Sri Lankan president Friday after a shock victory over veteran strongman Mahinda Rajapakse in an election dominated by charges of corruption and growing authoritarianism.
Sirisena took the oath of office hours after Rajapakse conceded defeat, saying he accepted the decision of Sri Lankans who turned out in force on Thursday to vote him out after 10 years in office.
Sirisena said Sri Lanka would mend its ties with the international community, in a clear reference to Rajapakse's falling out with the West over allegations of wartime rights abuses by the military.
"We will have a foreign policy that will mend our ties with the international community and all international organisations in order that we derive maximum benefit for our people," he said.
"We will work with friendship and brotherhood and cooperation with all states."
Celebratory firecrackers could be heard in Colombo as Sirisena was sworn in on the capital's Independence Square along with new prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
"People want a new political culture. I don't want anyone taking the law into their own hands," said Wickremesinghe, the head of the opposition United National Party (UNP), at an earlier press conference.
Sirisena, a former health minister who united a fractured opposition to pull off an unlikely victory, thanked Rajapakse for a "fair election that allowed me to be the president".
He was elected with a 51.28-percent share of the vote to the former leader's 47.58 percent. It was a remarkable reverse for a leader who had appeared certain of victory when he called snap polls in November.
US Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed Rajapakse's early concession and said he looked forward to working with the new leader.
