No Evidence that Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe Has Been Selected  as President of ADB

Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel

Following the recent presidential election, social media has been flooded with rumors 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 

Below is the fact check 

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 taken here  from the ADB website 

We also asked ADB Sri Lanka whether any governor nominated President Ranil for ADB presidency and after getting their response, will update the article.

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

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google News | TikTok 

Conclusion

There is no evidence to support the claim that Ranil Wickremesinghe has 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. Until then, any such claims should be considered inaccurate and misleading.

We have contacted the ADB for further clarification regarding whether Wickremesinghe has been nominated for the position and will update this fact check once more information becomes available.