Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe Has NOT Been Selected as President of ADB!

Following the recent presidential election, social media has been flooded with rumours and misleading posts about former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Many of these posts have spread false information or taken statements out of context, creating confusion about his actions and role after leaving office.

Social Media Posts

A claim is being widely shared on social media stating that former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been selected as the next President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and will assume his duties in March 2025. We fact-checked this claim by reviewing mainstream media reports, consulting with the ADB Sri Lanka office, and verifying information from the official ADB website.

FB | Archived

Fact Check

No Announcement from Mainstream Media or ADB

Our initial fact-check revealed that no mainstream media outlets have reported Wickremesinghe’s appointment to the ADB presidency. To ensure accuracy, we also checked the ADB’s official channels, including its website, where no announcements regarding the selection of the next ADB President were made as of September 27, 2024.

ADB Sri Lanka Office Clarifies the Election Process

To further investigate, we reached out to the ADB Sri Lanka office, which provided us with a detailed explanation of the election process for the ADB Presidency. According to their response:

The election process for the ADB President began on September 24, 2024.

ADB Governors are invited to submit nominations from September 24 to October 23, 2024.

The election will be conducted electronically from October 28 to November 27, 2024.

The outcome of the election will be announced after the Board of Directors has reviewed the votes, and this is expected to happen on November 28, 2024.

However, the exact date when the newly elected President will assume office is yet to be determined.

More details can be found here on the ADB website.

We also got a clue as to why these misleading posts went viral. Mr. Wickramasinghe’s name was listed as the Governor representing Sri Lanka on the Asian Development Bank website till September 27th; however, the website has now updated the current president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s name in his place.

We also contacted a former director of Ranil Wickremesinghe's President Media Division. He also confirmed that the viral claims of the former president being elected for the ADB chairman position are false.

So, the claim that Ranil Wickremesinghe has been selected as ADB President is false. The election process is ongoing, and the winner will only be announced after November 28th.

Follow us and stay up to date with our latest fact checks.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google News | TikTok

Conclusion

Former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe has NOT been appointed as the next President of the ADB. The election process is still ongoing, and the final outcome will be announced at the end of November 2024.