Sri Lanka’s acting president on July 17 declared a state of emergency across the crisis-hit island nation ahead of the parliamentary vote for a new president.
Sri Lanka’s Parliament is set to convene on July 20 to vote for a new president to replace former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country after thousands of protesters stormed his official residence to demand his resignation.
Anti-government protesters retreated from government buildings and waved national flags to celebrate his resignation.
Protesters also demanded that Wickremesinghe quit as prime minister and set his house on fire. He agreed to resign but eventually backtracked on the decision after Rajapaksa appointed him as acting president.
Rajapaksa Brothers Barred From Leaving Country
The Sri Lankan Supreme Court banned the former president’s brothers, Basil Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa, from leaving the country until July 28 after a petition was filed against them for the nation’s economic crisis, according to local reports.Basil Rajapaksa, the former finance minister, attempted to flee Sri Lanka through the VIP terminal at Colombo International Airport but was stopped by immigration officials.
Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as prime minister on May 9 after the prolonged protests turned deadly, and has since been hiding at a military base. His replacement, Wickremesinghe, was sworn in on May 12.
Ukraine War Exacerbates Sri Lanka’s Food Crisis
Speaking at a panel discussion on July 17, Wickremesinghe said the Russia–Ukraine war and Western sanctions imposed against Russia had caused an increase in commodity prices, which cash-strapped Sri Lanka could no longer afford.Wickremesinghe said the Group of Seven nations and the World Bank have offered to provide Sri Lanka with $14 million in financial aid to purchase food and support the agriculture sector.
However, the acting president pointed out that global hunger could worsen if the Russia–Ukraine war dragged on and said that imposing sanctions against Russia would just increase the burden on smaller nations.
“Sanctions won’t bring Russia to its knees, but it will bring the rest of the third world to its knees,” Wickremesinghe said, while calling on Russia to cease fire in Ukraine.
Sri Lanka defaulted on its debt for the first time in May. The country has sought bailout packages from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and loan packages from its major lending partners, including Japan, China, and India.