A longtime ally of the Rajapaksa in-laws was appointed Sri Lanka’s prime minister on Friday, hours after security forces dismantled the main site of anti-government protests in recent months.
New President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was elected by parliament and took office this week, appointed his schoolmate Dinesh Gunawardena as prime minister, a post he held until last week.
Gunawardena is 73 years old and belongs to a prominent political family.
Protesters have taken to the streets of Sri Lanka for more than 100 days to demand the resignation of the country’s leadership, following an economic crisis that has left 22 million people with reduced access to essential goods, including medicine, food and fuel.
Protesters today celebrate 100 days since the start of the protests in Sri Lanka
The protests forced former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign and flee the country, taking refuge in Singapore, and several relatives left ministerial positions.
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The appointment of the new prime minister came hours after security forces dismantled the main site of anti-government protests in recent months.
During the operation, the police made several arrests and, according to the Associated Press news agency, at least two journalists and two lawyers were beaten.
The Sri Lanka Bar Association has already called for a stay of “unwarranted and disproportionate actions” against civilians.
Sri Lanka, which went into default in April with a foreign debt of 51,000 million dollars (50,000 million euros), does not have foreign currency to finance essential imports and now has a rescue package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
A large part of the loan is due to the holders of international sovereign bondsbut China remains Sri Lanka’s largest foreign creditor, with more than 10% of the debt.
Source: Observadora
