Colombo: Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe as was sworn in on Thursday Sri Lankaof the new prime minister, a few days after his predecessor Mahinda Rajapakse Resigned after violent protests over the worst economic crisis in the debt-ridden island nation.
The 73-year-old United National Party (UNP) was appointed as Prime Minister by the President Gotabaya Rajapakse After discussions in closed rooms on Wednesday.
Wickremesinghe, who has served as the country’s prime minister for four terms, was removed from the post of prime minister in October 2018 by the then President Maithripala Sirisena. However, two months later Sirisena reinstated him as Prime Minister.
Members of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), a section of the main opposition Samagi Jana Balvegaya (SJB) and several other parties have expressed their support for Wickremesinghe to show a majority. ParliamentSources said.
The UNP, the country’s oldest party, failed to win a single seat from the districts, including Wickremesinghe, who contested the 2020 parliamentary elections from Colombo, a UNP stronghold.
They later found their way into parliament through the only national list allocated to the UNP on the basis of the cumulative national vote. His deputy, Sajith Premadasa, led the split SJB and became the main opposition.
Wickremesinghe is widely acknowledged as a man who could manage the economy with visionary policies, and regarded as a Sri Lankan statesman who could command international cooperation.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is partly due to a lack of foreign exchange, meaning the country cannot pay for imports of staple foods and fuels, leading to an acute economic crisis. Scarcity and very high prices.
The 73-year-old United National Party (UNP) was appointed as Prime Minister by the President Gotabaya Rajapakse After discussions in closed rooms on Wednesday.
Wickremesinghe, who has served as the country’s prime minister for four terms, was removed from the post of prime minister in October 2018 by the then President Maithripala Sirisena. However, two months later Sirisena reinstated him as Prime Minister.
Members of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), a section of the main opposition Samagi Jana Balvegaya (SJB) and several other parties have expressed their support for Wickremesinghe to show a majority. ParliamentSources said.
The UNP, the country’s oldest party, failed to win a single seat from the districts, including Wickremesinghe, who contested the 2020 parliamentary elections from Colombo, a UNP stronghold.
They later found their way into parliament through the only national list allocated to the UNP on the basis of the cumulative national vote. His deputy, Sajith Premadasa, led the split SJB and became the main opposition.
Wickremesinghe is widely acknowledged as a man who could manage the economy with visionary policies, and regarded as a Sri Lankan statesman who could command international cooperation.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is partly due to a lack of foreign exchange, meaning the country cannot pay for imports of staple foods and fuels, leading to an acute economic crisis. Scarcity and very high prices.