<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Three candidates were nominated Tuesday to replace former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country and resigned last week over the island's worsening economic crisis.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The winner will take charge of a bankrupt country that is in talks with the IMF for a bailout as its 22 million people endure severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines.</div><div><br></div><div>The parliament announced that acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe will face former education minister Dullas Alahapperuma -- who has the backing of the main opposition -- and leftist leader Anura Dissanayake in a secret ballot on Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>The three were formally nominated by legislators in a session that lasted under 10 minutes at the tightly guarded parliament building.</div><div><br></div><div>Moments earlier, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa announced on Twitter that he was withdrawing from the race in favour of the 63-year-old Alahapperuma, a dissident member of Rajapaksa's SLPP party.</div><div><br></div><div>"For the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish, I hereby withdraw my candidacy for the position of President," Premadasa said.</div><div><br></div><div>Political sources said the two had struck a deal overnight for one to be president and the other prime minister and to work to form a unity government to navigate the country's worsening economic crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>But Wickremesinghe, 73, a veteran political operator and six times prime minister, has the formal backing of the leadership of the SLPP, which remains the largest party in the 225-member parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>The third candidate is Anura Dissanayake, 53, leader of the leftist JVP, or People's Liberation Front, which has three parliamentary seats.</div><div><br></div><div>A possible fourth candidate, former army chief Sarath Fonseka, failed to get support from legislators to enter the presidential race.</div><div><br></div><div>The new leader will be in office for the balance of Rajapaksa's term, which runs until November 2024. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>