Galle Face Green, the centre of Sri Lanka's nascent protest movement, is sweltering on a sunny afternoon. A woman's voice hovers above the sea of tents at the protest camp, singing a Queen song in a way that is all her own.
These demonstrators have spearheaded the Aragalaya movement, which is made up of millions of people and is called after the Sinhalese term for "battle," for months, asking for the ouster of the despised president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
He and his older brother, former president Mahinda, are mostly blamed by Sri Lankans for the economic collapse of their nation.
All odds were against the demonstrators, yet they managed to prevail. As he is known in the community, Gota resigned and left last week. The challenging aspect will now be dealing with the political fallout from Mr. Rajapaksa's departure and making some very tough choices.
Following the resignation of Mr. Rajapaksa, demonstrators are now targeting Ranil Wickremesinghe, the unpopular former prime minister.
He is perceived as having strong links to the Rajapaksas, a strong family that dominated Sri Lanka for over two decades.
He has little credibility in the eyes of the populace as the present acting president. Mr. Wickremesinghe ran unsuccessfully for president in the past and lost his own position in the legislature in 2020. He is thought to have obtained the top position by pure accident when Mr. Rajapaksa named him caretaker leader while making a fast leave.
Thousands of Sri Lankans surrounded the prime minister's office on last Wednesday. The chant at Galle Face Green, where "Gota Go Home" has been the catchphrase for months, is changing to "Ranil Go Home."
However, Mr. Wickremesinghe has sworn to adhere to the law, and he will continue in office until parliament elects a new president on Wednesday.
Many think that with the backing of the Rajapaksas' ruling Sri Lanka People's Front party, he may enter the race and perhaps win (SLPP).
Mr. Wickremesinghe has a spotty history, to put it mildly. He has served as prime minister six times but has never finished any of his mandates, and his tenure in power has been marred by corruption scandals.
But he has experience leading a nation, and many MPs who like stability and continuity are believed to back him.
Other people, such SLPP MP Dullas Alahapperuma and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, are vying for the crown. However, a split vote may result, which would be advantageous to Mr. Wickremesinghe.