Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to name new prime minister
Colombo: Troubled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is likely to name a new prime minister on Thursday in a bid to steer the debt-ridden country out of grave economic crisis after days of violence, Khaleej Times reported.
Former premier Ranil Wickremesinghe is the frontrunner to head a “unity government” with cross-party support in the 225-member parliament and replace Rajapaksa's elder brother Mahinda who stepped down on Monday.
“A swearing-in is likely today unless there is a last-minute hiccup,” a senior official close to the president said.
In a televised address to the nation, Rajapaksa had stopped short of yielding to weeks of nationwide protests calling for him to resign and promised the formation of a new unity government and bring about certain constitutional changes.
The main opposition SJB party was initially invited to lead a new government, but its leader Sajith Premadasa insisted that the president first step down, then about a dozen MPs from the SJB pledged support to Wickremesinghe, 73, who has been prime minister for five times since 1993 and is seen as a pro-West free-market reformist.
Wickremesinghe is the only legislator from his United National Party (UNP) which was routed at the August 2020 election that gave Rajapaksa a two-thirds majority.
(With UNI inputs)
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