Colombo: Sri LankaThe U.S.’s new prime minister on Friday struggled to form a unity government and prevent an imminent economic collapse as opposition lawmakers refused to join his cabinet and called for new elections.
Ranil Wickremesinghe The pledge was taken late Thursday to navigate his country through the worst recession in its history as an independent nation, in which months of shortages and blackouts were fueling public anger.
The 73-year-old insisted he has enough support to rule and has approached several legislators to join him, but three opposition parties have already said his premiership lacks legitimacy.
Senior opposition lawmaker Harsha da Silva publicly rejected the offer to take over the finance ministry and said he would instead insist on the government’s resignation.
“People are not asking for political games and deals, they want a new system that will secure their future,” he said in a statement.
De Silva said he was joining the “people’s struggle” to topple President Gotabaya Rajapaksa And will not support any political settlement which can give place to the leader.
Massive public demonstrations have condemned Rajapaksa over his administration’s mismanagement of the worsening economic crisis.
Hundreds of people are at a protest camp outside his beach office in the capital Colombo, which has been campaigning for his step down over the past month.
De Silva, a member of the Samagi Jana Balvegaya (SJB), the largest single opposition group in parliament, appeared set to part ways over the question of backing Wickremesinghe.
But the head of the potential splinter faction, harin fernandoSaid that on Friday he had returned to the fold.
“I will not support Wickremesinghe’s government,” Fernando told AFP.
Two smaller parties have also indicated that they will not join any unity government.
The Tamil National Alliance said Rajapaksa’s administration had “completely lost legitimacy” with the appointment of five-time former prime minister Wickremesinghe, who took office as recently as 2019.
The left-wing People’s Liberation Front (JVP) meanwhile said fresh national elections were the only way out of the current impasse.
“Having an illegitimate government cannot solve the economic crisis,” JVP leader Anura Dissanayake told reporters in Colombo. “We demand fresh elections.”
However, the cash-strapped government is unlikely to be able to afford elections or even print ballots at a time when a national paper crunch forced schools to postpone exams. Did.
Parliamentary elections are not to be held until August 2025.
Sri Lankans have faced severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine as well as prolonged power cuts after the country burned through the foreign exchange reserves needed to pay for vital imports.
The head of the central bank warned this week that the island nation’s economy was just days away from “collapse beyond redemption” unless a new government is immediately appointed.
Wickremesinghe warned on Thursday that the dire situation could worsen in the coming months and called for international aid.
“We want to return the country to a state where our people can once again have three meals a day,” he said.
The president’s brother Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as prime minister on Monday after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters who were protesting peacefully.
Violent mobs set fire to the homes of dozens of Rajapaksa loyalists, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 200.
Mahindra has since been banned from leaving the country by a court and has taken refuge in Trincomalee Naval base in the east of Sri Lanka.
Troops have largely restored order and a nationwide curfew has been in place for most of the week.
Indian and Japanese envoys in Colombo were the first to meet Wickremesinghe, soon after he officially took office on Friday.
The new premier is seen as a pro-West, free-market reformist, potentially easing bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund and others.
Ranil Wickremesinghe The pledge was taken late Thursday to navigate his country through the worst recession in its history as an independent nation, in which months of shortages and blackouts were fueling public anger.
The 73-year-old insisted he has enough support to rule and has approached several legislators to join him, but three opposition parties have already said his premiership lacks legitimacy.
Senior opposition lawmaker Harsha da Silva publicly rejected the offer to take over the finance ministry and said he would instead insist on the government’s resignation.
“People are not asking for political games and deals, they want a new system that will secure their future,” he said in a statement.
De Silva said he was joining the “people’s struggle” to topple President Gotabaya Rajapaksa And will not support any political settlement which can give place to the leader.
Massive public demonstrations have condemned Rajapaksa over his administration’s mismanagement of the worsening economic crisis.
Hundreds of people are at a protest camp outside his beach office in the capital Colombo, which has been campaigning for his step down over the past month.
De Silva, a member of the Samagi Jana Balvegaya (SJB), the largest single opposition group in parliament, appeared set to part ways over the question of backing Wickremesinghe.
But the head of the potential splinter faction, harin fernandoSaid that on Friday he had returned to the fold.
“I will not support Wickremesinghe’s government,” Fernando told AFP.
Two smaller parties have also indicated that they will not join any unity government.
The Tamil National Alliance said Rajapaksa’s administration had “completely lost legitimacy” with the appointment of five-time former prime minister Wickremesinghe, who took office as recently as 2019.
The left-wing People’s Liberation Front (JVP) meanwhile said fresh national elections were the only way out of the current impasse.
“Having an illegitimate government cannot solve the economic crisis,” JVP leader Anura Dissanayake told reporters in Colombo. “We demand fresh elections.”
However, the cash-strapped government is unlikely to be able to afford elections or even print ballots at a time when a national paper crunch forced schools to postpone exams. Did.
Parliamentary elections are not to be held until August 2025.
Sri Lankans have faced severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine as well as prolonged power cuts after the country burned through the foreign exchange reserves needed to pay for vital imports.
The head of the central bank warned this week that the island nation’s economy was just days away from “collapse beyond redemption” unless a new government is immediately appointed.
Wickremesinghe warned on Thursday that the dire situation could worsen in the coming months and called for international aid.
“We want to return the country to a state where our people can once again have three meals a day,” he said.
The president’s brother Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as prime minister on Monday after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters who were protesting peacefully.
Violent mobs set fire to the homes of dozens of Rajapaksa loyalists, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 200.
Mahindra has since been banned from leaving the country by a court and has taken refuge in Trincomalee Naval base in the east of Sri Lanka.
Troops have largely restored order and a nationwide curfew has been in place for most of the week.
Indian and Japanese envoys in Colombo were the first to meet Wickremesinghe, soon after he officially took office on Friday.
The new premier is seen as a pro-West, free-market reformist, potentially easing bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund and others.