Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday, 11 May, said he will appoint a new prime minister and a Cabinet this week. This comes after Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday, 9 May, resigned from the post of Sri Lanka's prime minister. The island nation is currently under curfew.
"This week I will appoint a prime minister and Cabinet that can command a majority in Parliament and can gain the confidence of the people of the country," he said while addressing the nation, as per NDTV.
"Thereafter, a constitutional amendment will be moved to enact the content of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which will vest more powers with the Parliament. The new government's prime minister will be awarded the opportunity to produce a new programme and take this country forward," he added.
The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday also gave its troops shoot-on-sight orders, soon after granting the military and police machinery emergency powers to arrest people without warrants.
President Held Talks with Former PM
The president reportedly held talks with the country's former prime minister and current member of parliament, Ranil Wickremesinghe.
It is likely that Wickremesinghe, 73, could be the next PM of the country as an interim measure. Wickremesinghe heads the United National Party.
"When appointing the recent cabinet, several senior ministers and all Rajapaksas were omitted. A new cabinet with young faces was appointed. I also reached an agreement to dismiss the prime minister and the cabinet and allow to appoint a new Prime Minister and Cabinet. However, on the 9th of May, an unfortunate event unfolded," Rajapaksa said.
"Within a matter of hours, nine people, including an MP, were inhumanely beaten and killed. Approximately 300 people were hospitalised. Many houses were set on fire. Looting was reported across the country. Curfew was imposed and before the three armed forces were deployed, the events took place in a very organised manner," the Lankan president added.
Sri Lanka Central Bank Chief Says Economy Will Collapse If No New Govt in 2 Days
Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka warned on Wednesday, 11 May, that the economy will 'collapse' if no new government was formed in 2 days.
Nandalal Weerasinghe, governor of the Sri Lankan Central Bank, said to reporters that the economy will "collapse beyond redemption", as reported by AFP.
"If there is no government in the next two days, the economy will completely collapse and no one will be able to save it."
He also threatened to resign if the country did not see political stability soon.
"I took on this responsibility with expectations that political stability will be established. It’s been more than a month with no progress. I do not wish to continue in this post if political stability is not achieved,” he was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
The Sri Lankan Crisis
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya declared a state of emergency in the country from 7 May onwards, giving security forces sweeping powers amid anti-government protests. This marked the second time in five weeks that an emergency was declared in the country.
The island nation has been going through an economic meltdown of a scale unseen since the country's financial crisis of 1948. Prices of essential commodities like rice, milk, and oil have skyrocketed, resulting in massive nationwide protests and political instability.
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