Sri Lanka’s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency, according to a government notice released late on Sunday, as his administration seeks to quell social unrest and tackle an economic crisis gripping the island nation.
The notification indicated that it was necessary to take these actions in order to ensure public safety, preserve public order, and maintain supplies and services that were vital to the community’s daily operations.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the president of Sri Lanka who was overthrown this week after a popular movement against his administration, claims to have taken “all conceivable precautions” to prevent the economic disaster that has gripped the island nation.
Sri Lanka’s parliament met on Saturday to begin the process of electing a new president. Top contenders in the race are Ranil Wickremesinghe, reportedly backed by the Rajapaksas and the ruling party; Sajith Premadasa, leader of the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party; Dullas Alahapperuma, a senior lawmaker pegged as the dark horse in the presidential race, and Marxist JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Parliament accepted Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation on Friday. After tens of thousands of anti-government protestors took to the streets of Colombo a week ago and overtook his official residence and offices, he took a flight to the Maldives and then to Singapore.
According to reports, Singaporean officials have informed the expelled Gotabaya Rajapaksa that they won’t be extending his stay in the city-state. Rajapaksa arrived there on a “private visit,” as the Singaporean government described it, last Thursday. According to Singapore’s Foreign Ministry, he has not requested refuge and has not been given any.
The arrival of a fuel shipment brought some respite to the people of Sri Lanka. The island nation has ran out of money to pay for imports of essential needs including food, fertiliser, medicine, and fuel for its 22 million inhabitants due to the economic collapse. It is now negotiating a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.
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