Ranil Wickremesinghe took over as president on Friday after his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled abroad and resigned following months of mass protests over the country’s economic collapse. Wickremesinghe’s imposition of the state of emergency came as protests calling for his resignation continued in most parts of the country, with some protesters even burning him. The emergency ordinance invokes sections of the Public Safety Ordinance that allow Wickremesinghe to issue regulations in the interest of public safety and order. Authorities can authorize detention, seize property and search premises. Wickremesinghe can also change or suspend any law during the state of emergency. Wickremesinghe said in a statement that negotiations for a bailout package with the International Monetary Fund are nearing completion, while aid talks with foreign countries have advanced. There was no comment from the IMF on Wickremesinghe’s assessment of the bailout talks. He said assistance is being provided to the people and measures have been taken to resolve fuel and cooking gas shortages. However, Wickremesinghe claimed that “elements within the society” were trying to disrupt the peace in Sri Lanka. He did not give specific details, but said unrest would not be allowed to hinder the country’s progress. Wickremesinghe said peaceful protesters who had legitimate concerns would be engaged with the government and solutions would be found for them. He also urged political parties to put aside differences and form “an all-party government that would enable the country to recover from the economic crisis”. There was no immediate response from the political parties to his latest comments, but they are working to try to form a unity government. Lawmakers who met on Saturday began the process of electing a new leader to serve out the remainder of Rajapaksa’s vacated term. Nominations for the election of the new president will take place on Tuesday. If there is more than one candidate, MPs will vote on Wednesday. The Sri Lanka Bar Association said the emergency laws “should not be used to suppress any legitimate expression of opinion regarding the election of the president nor to suppress any dissent or dissent on a particular candidate”. The union also stressed that these laws should not be used to “suppress peaceful protests and dissent or to make arbitrary arrests and detentions.” Sri Lanka has for months been short of funds to pay for imports of essential items such as food, fertiliser, medicine and fuel for its 22 million people. The country’s rapid economic decline came as a surprise because the economy had grown with a growing, comfortable middle class. Sri Lanka is seeking help from the IMF and other creditors, but top officials have said its finances are in such bad shape that getting the bailout has been difficult. Economic difficulties led to political unrest and widespread protests demanding the resignation of the Rajapaksa-led government. Although many ministers resigned in April, Rajapaksa remained in power until last week, when he flew first to the Maldives and then to Singapore. The main protests took place in the capital, Colombo, where large crowds occupied the front of the president’s office for more than 100 days. Protesters stormed the president’s official residence and office on July 9, forcing Rajapaksa to flee. Protesters accuse Rajapaksa and his powerful political family of siphoning money from state coffers and hastening the country’s collapse by mismanaging the economy. The family has denied allegations of corruption, but Rajapaksa has acknowledged that some of his policies contributed to the financial collapse.
