Sri Lanka's new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has taken his oath of office, promising to "rewrite history" for a country that is recovering from its worst economic crisis.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake leads early official results in Sri Lanka’s presidential election, according to tallies released on Sunday by the Election Commission, but he is still short of the 50% needed for victory.

Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won Sri Lanka’s presidential election as voters rejected the old political guard that has been widely accused of pushing the nation toward economic ruin