Ranil Wickremesinghe returns as Sri Lanka PM as country faces economic crisis

Mangalore Today News Network

Colombo, May 12, 2022: Sri Lanka’s former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has just one seat in the 225-member Parliament, has been appointed as the new PM of Sri Lanka amid growing unrest over the current economic crisis.

 

The decision was reached after a closed-door meeting with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday, May 11.

Wickremesinghe has served as the island nation’s prime minister four times. He was fired from the post of prime minister by then President Maithripala Sirisena in October 2018. However, he was reinstalled by Sirisena after two months.
According to reports, members of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a section of the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya and several other parties had expressed their support to show majority for Wickremesinghe in Parliament.

 

Congratulations to the newly appointed Prime Minister of #lka, @RW_UNP. I wish you all the best as you navigate these troubled times.

— Mahinda Rajapaksa (@PresRajapaksa) May 12, 2022

Mahinda Rajapaksa, who recently resigned from the post of prime minister due to growing unrest owing to the crippling economic situation of the country, congratulated Wickremesinghe on his appointment.

Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, with nearly USD 7 billion of its total USD 25 billion in foreign debt due for repayment this year. A severe shortage of foreign exchange means the country lacks money to buy from outside world.

People have endured months of shortages of essentials like food, cooking gas, fuel and medicine, lining up for hours to buy the very limited stocks available. This led to civil unrest with pro- and anti-government protesters clashing on the streets of Sri Lanka.

Eight people have died and around 250 people have been injured in the violence. The ancestral home of the politically-influential Rajapaksa family in Hambantota was also set on fire by protesters.

Amidst all this, Namal Rajapaksa, the son of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, said neither he nor his father would be leaving Sri Lanka. They are currently taking shelter at Trincomalee Naval Base.

Courtesy: India Today