[ti:Sri Lankan Parliament Selects Unpopular PM as President] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Sri Lankan lawmakers elected Ranil Wickremesinghe, [00:04.36]the unpopular prime minister and acting president, [00:08.60]as the country's new leader Wednesday. [00:12.56]Members of the ruling party hope his government experience [00:17.56]will help the country out of the economic [00:20.80]and political crisis it is facing. [00:24.60]But there is also a risk that the decision will lead [00:28.60]to more unrest in the South Asian country. [00:32.76]For months, Sri Lankan protesters have demanded the ouster [00:37.64]of the country's top two political leaders. [00:41.56]Last week, demonstrators occupied homes, [00:45.12]offices and government buildings. [00:48.96]The uprising forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa [00:54.20]to flee the country and resign. [00:58.00]The prime minister, Wickremesinghe, became acting president. [01:03.32]On Monday, Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency [01:07.88]giving him the power to restore public security and order. [01:13.36]The six-time prime minister received 134 votes [01:17.84]in the 225-member parliament. [01:22.08]But, given his unpopularity, only a few lawmakers [01:26.76]had publicly said they would vote for Wickremesinghe. [01:31.72]Wednesday's vote means Wickremesinghe [01:34.20]will finish the presidential term ending in 2024. [01:38.80]He will be sworn in on Thursday. [01:42.84]"I need not tell you what state our country is in," [01:47.24]Wickremesinghe told lawmakers after his victory was announced. [01:52.80]"People are not expecting the old politics from us, [01:56.68]they expect us to work together." [01:59.76]The 73-year-old leader added, [02:02.68]"Now that the election is over, we have to end this division." [02:08.64]After the vote, some supporters [02:11.08]celebrated Wickremesinghe's win in the streets. [02:15.40]But protesters gathered at the presidential home, [02:18.88]calling "Ranil, go home." [02:22.32]Visaka Jayawware, a protester, told the Associated Press, [02:27.84]"We will keep fighting for the people of Sri Lanka. [02:31.56]We have to ask for a general election." [02:35.92]Much of the protesters' anger was directed at Rajapaksa [02:40.60]and his family who ruled the country for almost 20 years. [02:46.24]But many also blamed Wickremesinghe for protecting Rajapaksa. [02:52.52]Last week, a crowd occupied his office and set his home on fire. [02:59.44]Economists say the crisis in Sri Lanka [03:02.20]comes from years of poor leadership and corruption. [03:06.76]They also say it comes from other troubles, [03:10.28]such as growing debt, the effects of the pandemic, [03:14.16]and terror attacks that hurt the tourism industry. [03:19.20]The country also has $51 billion in foreign debts that it cannot repay. [03:26.84]Before Wednesday's vote, Wickremesinghe [03:29.80]said the economy had already collapsed [03:32.76]by the time he joined the Rajapaksa government in May. [03:37.76]As prime minister, Wickremesinghe [03:40.44]has been working with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) [03:44.00]and countries to look for help. [03:47.64]He said Monday that negotiations with the IMF [03:51.60]were nearing a conclusion, [03:53.48]while talks on help from other countries had also progressed. [03:59.24]He also said that the government has taken measures [04:03.00]to solve shortages of fuel and cooking gas. [04:07.96]"People deserve fuel, transportation, we deserve anything citizens need," [04:14.40]Kasumi Ranasinghe Arachchige, a 26-year-old protester, told Reuters. [04:21.16]"Until we see no one in Sri Lanka is struggling, the protest continues." [04:28.76]I'm Caty Weaver. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM