Tag: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Sri Lanka: Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed acting President

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has been appointed Acting President, according to the country’s Parliament’s Speaker.

It is reported that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who has fled the country on a military jet informed Ranil Wickremesinghe of the appointment under Article 37.1 of Sri Lanka’s constitution.

But there remains no direct word from Rajapaksa himself.

Per reports, all announcements concerning the country in recent days have come from the parliament speaker and the prime minister’s office.

Ranil Wickremesinghe’s appointment comes at a time when citizens are displeased with the running of the country.

Sri Lanka has defaulted on its debt for the first time in its history as the country struggles with its worst financial crisis in more than 70 years.

Also, the country has suspended sales of fuel for non-essential vehicles as it faces its worst economic crisis in decades.

In view of the challenges, citizens have hit the street to protest. The protesters are staying defiant in the face of a nation-wide curfew imposed by the prime minister’s office.

They are gathered outside the Prime Minister’s office.

But the police are at the scene and have fired more volleys of teargas on the crowd in a bid to drive them back.

According to international media outlets, the avenue is wreathed in smoke.

A protester in Colombo throws back a canister of tear gas fired by police forces
Credit: BBC

“People are running, trying to escape the gas. Those hit are dousing themselves with water and coughing.

“Soldiers are still holding down the fort. Perched on the building’s gates, they’re even dumping water on protesters to help those struggling to breathe,” BBC reported.

The protesters have managed to rip open the gates to the prime minister’s office in Colombo, but a wall of soldiers are holding them back.

Credit: BBC

A 31-year-old protester Viraga Perera told the BBC “the people here are here so they can have a vote for the future.”

“Our country is facing an extreme economic crisis. We will keep coming, we will keep fighting until we have some assurance that we and our children have some future in this country,” the said protestor added.

Amidst the crisis, Sri Lanka’s national television channel Rupavihini has suspended its telecast due to protestors entering the state television office.

On the other hand, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has confirmed his resignation due to the challenges facing the country.

Rajapaksa is currently not in Sri Lanka but inÂ Maldives with his wife and two security officials.

His brother, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, has also leftÂ Sri Lanka and is said to be heading to the US, according to sources.

Source:Â The Independent Ghana

July 13, 2022
Sri Lanka: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees the country on military jet

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled Sri Lanka on a military jet, amid mass protests over the island’s economic crisis.

The country’s air force confirmed the 73-year-old flew to the Maldives with his wife and two security officials.

In his absence, he has appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president.

Mr Rajapaksa’s departure ends a family dynasty that has dominated Sri Lanka’s politics for the past two decades.

The president had been in hiding after crowds stormed his residence on Saturday, andÂ had pledged to resign on Wednesday 13 July.

A source told the BBC that Mr Rajapaksa will not remain in the Maldives and intends to travel on to a third country.

His brother, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, has also left Sri Lanka and is said to be heading to the US.

As Sri Lankans awoke to the news, thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, Colombo. Many gathered at Galle Face Green, the city’s main protest site. Some listened to fiery speeches at a makeshift stage set up for ordinary people to take the mic.

Punctuated by cries of “Victory to the struggle”, the rallying cry of the protest movement, speakers railed against a government and the leaders they feel have failed them.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has declared a state of emergency across the country and a curfew has been imposed in the western province, a spokesperson in his office said.

Police have fired tear gas to disperse a group of protesters who were walking near the prime minister’s office and towards parliament.

Some demonstrators were furious about Mr Rajapaksa’s departure, seeing a lack of accountability.

“We don’t like it. We want to keep him. We want our money back! And we want to put all the Rajapaksas in an open prison where they can do farm work,” said protester GP Nimal.

But 23-year-old university student Reshani Samarakoon told the BBC that the former president’s exile offered “hope that in the future we can eventually become a developed country, economically and socially”.

Image caption, One of the demonstrators in Colombo delivers a speech to the crowd

Sri Lankans blame President Rajapaksa’s administration for their worst economic crisis in decades.

For months they have been struggling with daily power cuts and shortages of basics like fuel, food and medicines.

The leader, who enjoys immunity from prosecution while he is president, is believed to have wanted to flee abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of arrest by the new administration.

The president’s departure threatens a potential power vacuum in Sri Lanka, which needs a functioning government to help start digging it out of financial ruin.

Politicians from other parties have been talking about forming a new unity government but there is no sign they are near agreement yet. It’s also not clear if the public would accept what they come up with.

Under the constitution, it’s the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who should act in the president’s stead if the latter resigns. The prime minister is considered the president’s deputy in parliament.

However, Mr Wickremesinghe is also deeply unpopular. Protesters set fire to his private residence on Saturday – he and his family were not inside – and he said he would resign to make way for a unity government, but gave no date.

That leaves the parliament’s speaker as the next most likely to step in as caretaker president, constitutional experts say. But Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is an ally of the Rajapaksas, and it is unclear whether the public would accept his authority.

Whoever does become acting president has 30 days to hold an election for a new president from among members of parliament. The winner of that vote could then see out the remainder of Mr Rajapaksa’s term until late 2024.

On Monday, the main opposition leader SajithÂ Premadasa told the BBC he would be tilting for the presidency. But he also lacks public support and there is deep public suspicion of politicians in general.

The protest movement which has brought Sri Lanka to the brink of change also does not have an obvious contender for the country’s leadership.

Source: BBC

July 13, 2022
Sri Lanka: President confirms resignation, PM’s office says
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has confirmed he will be resigning, the prime minister’s office has said.

It comes two days after crowds stormed the official residence of both leaders. Demonstrators are still occupying the buildings and are refusing to leave until both leaders are gone.

The parliament Speaker had earlier said the president would resign on 13 July.

Mr Rajapaksa’s current whereabouts are unknown. The BBC has been told that he is on a navy vessel at sea.

His resignation was first announced by the parliament Speaker on Saturday, but many Sri Lankans responded with scepticism to the idea that he would relinquish power.
On Monday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said in a statement it had been informed by Mr Rajapaksa that he would step down on Wednesday.

However, there has still been no direct word from Mr Rajapaksa.

Under Sri Lanka’s constitution, his resignation can only formally be accepted when he resigns by letter to the parliament Speaker – which has yet to happen.

Mr Wickremesinghe had earlier also said he would step down from his position.

Mr Rajapaksa had departed the presidential palace before protesters entered on Saturday, calling for his resignation.

His brother, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, is at a naval base in the country, the sources say.

For months, Sri Lankans have been calling for the resignations of the Rajapaksa brothers.

The president has been blamed for the country’s economic mismanagement, which has caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine for months.

Inside the occupied palace on Sunday, protesters were refusing to budge.

“Our struggle is not over,” student protest leader Lahiru Weerasekara said, quoted by AFP. “We won’t give up this struggle until [President Rajapaksa] actually leaves,” he said.

“The next couple of days are going to be extremely uncertain times as to see what transpires politically,” political analyst and human rights lawyer Bhavani Fonseka told Reuters, adding that it would be interesting to see if the two leaders “actually resign”.

Other politicians in Sri Lanka met on Sunday to discuss how to handle a smooth transition of power.

The speaker of Sri Lanka’s parliament told the BBC World Service Newshour programme a new cross-party coalition government would need to be formed within a week of the president officially stepping down.

Sri Lanka: The basics

Sri Lanka is an island nation off southern India: It won independence from British rule in 1948. Three ethnic groups – Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim – make up 99% of the country’s 22 million population.

One family of brothers has dominated for years: Mahinda Rajapaksa became a hero among the majority Sinhalese in 2009 when his government defeated Tamil separatist rebels after years of bitter and bloody civil war. His brother Gotabaya, who was defence secretary at the time, is the current president but says he is standing down.

Presidential powers:Â The president is the head of state, government and the military in Sri Lanka but does share a lot of executive responsibilities with the prime minister, who heads up the ruling party in parliament.

Now an economic crisis has led to fury on the streets: Soaring inflation has meant some foods, medication and fuel are in short supply, there are rolling blackouts and ordinary people have taken to the streets in anger with many blaming the Rajapaksa family and their government for the situation.

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Protesters made their way into the house, chanting slogans and waving the national flag on Saturday

The palace storming on Saturday was the culmination of months of mainly peaceful protests in Sri Lanka.

Huge crowds converged on the official residence of President Rajapaksa, chanting slogans and waving the national flag before breaking through the barricades and entering the property.

Footage online showed people roaming through the house and swimming in the president’s pool, while others emptied out a chest of drawers, picked through the president’s belongings and used his luxurious bathroom.

Mr Rajapaksa vacated his official residence on Friday as a safety precaution ahead of the planned protests, two defence ministry sources said, according to Reuters.

Although it is Mr Rajapaksa’s official residence, he usually sleeps at a separate house nearby.

Source:Â BBC
July 11, 2022