Ranil Wickremesinghe was today sworn in as Sri Lanka’s interim president until Parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa. 73-year-old Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the acting president of Sri Lanka before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Rajapaksa resigned in the face of massive protests against his government for mishandling the economy that bankrupted the country. The 73-year-old leader on Thursday emailed his resignation letter to the Speaker soon after he was allowed by Singapore to enter the city-state on a “private visit”.
Sri Lanka is going through the worst economic crisis since its independence from Britain in 1948 and needs to obtain at least USD 4 billion to tide over the acute shortage in foreign exchange reserves.
The island nation’s inflation topped 50 per cent in June after two years of money printing and an attempted float botched with a surrender requirement which sent the rupee sliding to 360 to the US dollar from 200.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. In several major cities, including Colombo, hundreds are forced to stand in line for hours to buy fuel, sometimes clashing with police and the military as they wait.
Meanwhile, Ranil Wickremesinghe also warned the protesters not to resort to violence as the military had been empowered to take action.
“I will take immediate steps to restore law and order in the country. I accept 100 per cent the right to peaceful protest. But some people are trying to carry out disruptions. Some others are planning to influence MPs before the election of a new President next week. We will prepare the environment for MPs to exercise their rights independently. They will be given protection. We will not at any point allow any party to sabotage democracy. There are fascist elements who are trying to set the country alight,” he said.
“There is a big difference between revolutionaries and protesters. Legal action will be taken against those elements. Many people who have been participating in this struggle from the beginning have expressed opposition to the elements. We are committed to preserve law and order along with them, and we are bound the protect democracy.
“I am committed to protect the Constitution. I will never allow any unconstitutional action, or give such orders. I will never work against the Constitution. If law and order collapses, it will hurt our economy. The supply of fuel, oil, water supply and food can collapse,” Wickremesinghe stated.
Wickremesinghe also invited all the parties to join to form the government.
“I am requesting all parties in parliament to reach consensus. We need to unite for the country’s sake, setting aside all political differences. Put aside our personal agendas and give priority to the country. Put country before your personal agendas. We need to have a country where we can involved in politics. So I request all political parties to think of the country first. First, save this country and people from this turbulent state,” he urged.
Meanwhile, the Speaker has informed party leaders that nominations for the presidency will be accepted on July 19 and voting to elect a new President is to be held on July 20.
The Indian Ocean island nation with 22 million is going through the worst-ever economic crisis with skyrocketing inflation. In May, Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debts for the first time in its history.
