Sri Lanka's acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe declares state of emergency
Sri Lanka's acting President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, imposed a state of emergency late on Sunday night as his administration continues to suppress civil unrest and address the country's economic problems. Wickremesinghe, an associate of ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is also a prominent contender for the full-time presidency If Wickremesinghe becomes president then protests may escalate as demonstrators want him out too.
- Sri Lanka has been facing record inflation and severe shortages of food, fuel, and other essentials.
- It's struggling to service its $51B foreign debt due to a lack of foreign exchange with the COVID-19 pandemic jeopardizing its lucrative tourism revenue.
- Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country and resign as the president amid civil unrest, with protesters storming his residence and destroying property.
The government notification imposing the emergency stated, "It's expedient so to do, in the interests of public security, the protection of public order, and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community." However, since Rajapaksa's departure, the number of people at the protest sites has decreased, and the demonstrators have vacated the 200-year-old presidential palace and other government buildings.
Subsequently, Ranil Wickremesinghe took oath as the island nation's acting president on the same day. Battling the acute economic crisis, Sri Lanka's Parliament convened for a session on Saturday to start the procedure of electing the island nation's next president. The house will vote on it on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a shipment of petroleum has also arrived to bring some relief to the crisis-stricken country.
Amid the ongoing political and economic turmoil, citizens continue to stand in queues for food and fuel. "We have been standing in line for fuel for over two days. I had it filled for [LKR] 10,000 which was enough for 2-3 days," said cricketer Chamika Karunaratne. A "fuel pass" has also been introduced by Sri Lanka to ensure a weekly fuel quota for motorists.
Rajapaksa stated in his resignation letter, which was read aloud in the Lankan Parliament on Saturday, that he "took all possible steps to address" the issue of the crippling ongoing economic crisis in his country. "It is my personal belief that I took all possible steps to address this crisis, including inviting parliamentarians to form an all-party or unity government," the resignation letter read.
Following Rajapaksa's resignation, a small group of protesters celebrated his ouster. A happy crowd handed out sweets, danced together, and waved the national flag at the seafront boulevard where protesters had been camping for months, demanding Rajapaksa's resignation for bringing the nation to its knees.
Rajapaksa reportedly flew to Singapore from the Maldives on board a Saudi Airlines flight on Thursday evening. The Daily Mirror reported that Rajapaksa and his wife would travel further to West Asia later. After a sea of protesters stormed Rajapaksa's presidential palace on Saturday, he went into hiding before fleeing to the Maldives on Wednesday. The Lankan parliament officially accepted Rajapaksa's resignation on Friday.
