Ranil Wickremesinghe, the head of the United National Party, has been named Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister. After discussions about forming a new government to handle the economic crisis, the 73-year-old United National Party (UNP) leader swore in oath before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at a ceremony in the president’s office.
Sri Lanka has been without a government since Monday, when Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya’s elder brother and prime minister, withdrew when violence started after his supporters’ attack on anti-government protestors. Consequently, the attack triggered public violence towards Rajapaksa supporters, killing nine people.
There have been extensive protests over the government’s approach of the issue, with major food and fuel scarcity, increasing prices of key items, and hours-long power outages. On Monday, pro- and anti-government activists battled in Colombo, prompting a curfew and an island-wide state of emergency.
“Congratulations to the newly appointed Prime Minister of #lka, @RW_UNP. I wish you all the best as you navigate these troubled times,” tweeted Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo stated that it looks forward to cooperating with the new Sri Lankan government.
“High Commission of India hopes for political stability and looks forward to working with the Government of Sri Lanka formed in accordance with democratic processes pursuant to the swearing in of Hon’ble @RW_UNP as the Prime Minister of #SriLanka,” it tweeted.
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Image Credit: Vikalpa | Groundviews | Maatram | CPA from Sri Lanka, Wikimedia Commons
