AMN / WEB DESK
Sri Lanka’s former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has just one seat in the 225-member Parliament, has been appointed as the new PM of Sri Lanka amid growing unrest over the current economic crisis.
The decision was reached after a closed-door meeting with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday, May 11.
Wickremesinghe has served as the island nation’s prime minister four times. He was fired from the post of prime minister by then President Maithripala Sirisena in October 2018. However, he was reinstalled by Sirisena after two months.
According to reports, members of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a section of the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya and several other parties had expressed their support to show majority for Wickremesinghe in Parliament.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, who recently resigned from the post of prime minister due to growing unrest owing to the crippling economic situation of the country, congratulated Wickremesinghe on his appointment.
Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, with nearly USD 7 billion of its total USD 25 billion in foreign debt due for repayment this year. A severe shortage of foreign exchange means the country lacks money to buy from outside world.