Sri Lanka’s prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as acting president as the country reels from an economic crisis and unrest.
He was sworn in Friday and replaces Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled to Singapore after unprecedented mass protests which saw demonstrators overrun the presidential palace.
Protesters defied a curfew to celebrate his resignation during the night.
Sri Lanka is experiencing economic chaos as it faces an acute shortage of food, fuel and other basic supplies.
The process of parliament electing a new president will begin on Saturday, with MPs likely to take a vote in a week’s time.
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Given the governing party has a majority, MPs are thought likely to back Mr Wickremesinghe, who has close links with the Rajapaksa family.
Earlier this week, crowds stormed the former prime minister’s compound, clashing with security forces.
Calm was restored in Colombo on Thursday after protesters who had occupied government buildings retreated, but with the political opposition deeply divided, a solution to Sri Lanka’s many problems appeared no closer.
Parliament speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana promised a quick and transparent political process that should be finished within a week as people rejoiced in the streets over the new development.
The incoming president may nominate a new prime minister, who must be approved by Parliament. after Rajapaksa resigned, as pressure mounted on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.https://www.tvcnews.tv/2022/07/updated-cjn-to-get-n10mn-as-monthly-salary-industrial-court/
In a televised statement, Wickremesinghe said he would initiate steps to change the constitution to curb presidential powers and strengthen Parliament, restore law and order and take legal action against “insurgents.”
