Bharata Malavalacchi
Associated Press
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president on July 21, in the helm of a leader who feels he will remain in power amid an unprecedented economic crisis. angry country.
For months, Sri Lankans have taken to the streets to demand that their top leader step down and take responsibility for the economic chaos that has left the country’s 22 million people with shortages of essentials such as medicine, fuel and food. While protesters have focused their attention on Rajapaksa’s political dynasty, Wickremesinghe has also angered them by being seen as Rajapaksa’s proxy.
The six-time prime minister easily won a secret vote by lawmakers to complete the term of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country after protesters stormed his residence and resigned.
His appointment drew mixed reactions, with some supporters setting off firecrackers while protesters continued to demand his resignation.
Wickremesinghe, 73, has extensive experience in foreign affairs and international affairs and has been overseeing bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund. He won the support of 134 out of 225 MPs.
They apparently see him as the safer man to lead the country through the crisis, despite public outrage at Wickremesinghe as an example of the country’s problematic political system. During the demonstration, the crowd set fire to his private residence and occupied his office.
After the July 20 vote, Wickremesinghe called on politicians to work together and implored the country to move on. But protesters flocked to the president’s office, chanting “Laniel, go home!”
Protest leaders told reporters they did not accept Wickremesinghe’s appointment and urged him to step down immediately.
The parliament’s choice went against the “will of the people,” protest leader and Catholic priest Jivanta Perris said, adding that demonstrations against Wickremesinghe would continue.
“We are the ones who sent Gotabaya home, it’s not a difficult thing for us to send you (Wickremesinghe) home,” said Tampitiya, a Buddhist monk and protest leader outside the president’s office Sugatananda said.
A week before the vote, police and Sri Lankan soldiers demolished buildings near the protest site, where demonstrators have gathered for the past 104 days. They arrested several protesters and witnessed the beating of at least two journalists by security forces.
At midnight, large numbers of uniformed personnel arrived in trucks and buses to remove tents and protest banners and make arrests. They blocked the road to the scene and carried long poles. Protesters said on social media that they had been beaten, but the alleged incidents could not be confirmed.
On July 18, Wickremesinghe, acting president, declared a state of emergency, giving him broad powers to act for public safety and order. Authorities can conduct searches and detentions in an emergency, and Wickremesinghe can change or suspend any laws. A state of emergency can be periodically reviewed by Parliament and lapse without its approval.
In one example of troubles caused by Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, power outages hampered live TV coverage of a parliamentary ceremony in which Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the country’s eighth executive president. He can now choose a new prime minister.
In some areas, supporters of Wickremesinghe set off firecrackers and distributed candy to celebrate his inauguration, local media reported.
U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung tweeted that she was looking forward to working with Wickremesinghe. “In these challenging times, all parties must redouble their efforts to jointly tackle the economic crisis, uphold democracy and accountability, and build a stable and secure future for all Sri Lankans,” she added.
Wickremesinghe said talks with the International Monetary Fund were nearing an end and that talks on aid from other countries were progressing. He also said the government had taken steps to address fuel and gas shortages.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva told financial magazine Nikkei Asia that the organization hopes to conclude rescue talks “as soon as possible.”
The President of Sri Lanka is usually elected by the public. That responsibility falls to Parliament only if the presidency becomes vacant before the official end of the term. It has happened before, in 1993, when then-Prime Minister Dingiri Banda Wijtunga was uncontested after the assassination of the current opposition leader’s father, former President Ranasimha Premadasa. Parliamentary election.
