Finance
Sri Lanka’s ruling party has stated that when Parliament elects a new President on July 20, it will nominate interim President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Sagara Kariyawasam, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), said in a statement on Friday that the SLPP would nominate Wickremesinghe and support him in the election.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka’s Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena stated that a new President would be elected through the Parliament on July 20 following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, according to Xinhua news agency.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was sworn in as interim President on Friday, until the July 20 election.
Earlier in the day, Abeywardena stated that he had received President Rajapaksa’s resignation letter and that from now on the President has legally resigned from his legal duties and responsibilities.
“Under these circumstances, the constitutional procedure of appointing a new President will now be activated. Until this constitutional procedure is over, according to the constitution the Prime Minister will function in the capacity of the President overseeing functions, duties, and powers of the office of the President,” the Speaker told a media briefing.
Abeywardena also stated that Parliament will reconvene on July 16 and that all legislators are expected to attend parliamentary sessions on that day.
He requested maximum cooperation from all party leaders, state officials, and security forces for the democratic process of electing a new President and government, and he made a special appeal to Sri Lankans to create a peaceful environment that would allow all lawmakers to freely attend Parliament.
Under such circumstances, and with the assistance of all parties involved, the Speaker stated that he intends to complete the process of electing a new President in seven days.
For months, Sri Lanka has been in the grip of severe economic turmoil, resulting in a shortage of basic supplies such as food, gas and fuel.
Source:OCN
