Sri Lankan MPs have elected Prime Minister Ranil Wickremessinghae as the country's new president despite his unpopularity with the public, BBC reports..

Wickremessinghe is tasked with leading the country out of economic collapse and restoring public order after months of mass protests..

He defeated his main rival for the post, Dullus Alakhapperum, by receiving 134 votes to 82 during the parliamentary vote..

Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country last week. Thousands of protesters stormed the presidential residence and other government buildings, demanding his resignation.. They also called for the resignation of Wickremessinghe, who became prime minister in May..

Sri Lanka is effectively bankrupt and is facing severe food and fuel shortages.

After his election, Wickremessinghe told Parliament that the nation was "

He will try to bring political stability to Sri Lanka so that the country can resume negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a bailout package..

Wickremessinghe also called for political unity and cooperation of opposition parties with his government for the good of the country..

However, his election could provoke further unrest and mass protests.. Over the past two weeks, protesters have called for Wickremessinghe to resign as they see him as part of a "

Wickremessinghae has been in Sri Lankan politics for 45 years. He ignored protesters' calls to resign. Wickremessinghae took over as acting president after Rajapaksa's defection, and his victory means he will be head of state until his presidential term expires in November 2024.

His rival Allahapperuma is a dissident MP in the ruling party who has garnered support from the mainstream opposition.. He vowed to create a new cross-party government in Sri Lanka that would " However, he failed to win majority support..

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Earlier, Ranil Wickremessinghe, during a speech in parliament, said that Sri Lanka is bankrupt.

The country is in the midst of its worst financial crisis in 70 years after its foreign exchange reserves fell to record lows and dollars ran out to pay for essential imports, including food, medicine and fuel.. As a result, protests began.. The former president of the country, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, decided to ask for help from the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin..

The fact that Sri Lanka would be "