On May 12, local time, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed United Nationalist Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new prime minister, which is the 73-year-old's sixth time as Sri Lanka's prime minister. After taking the oath of office, Vikramasinger said, "We are facing a crisis, but we have a way to get rid of it." ”
Screenshot of Al Jazeera's report
That evening, Viklemasinghe was sworn in at the presidential residence in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo. Later in a media interview at a temple, he said, "We are facing a crisis and we have to get out of it," to which he replied, "Absolutely." ”
According to India's Asia International News Agency, Wickremesingha also said, "I have accepted the challenge of boosting the economy and I must complete it." ”
Vikramasinger has served as Prime Minister five times since 1993, first in 1993-1994, second in 2001-2004, third and fourth (re-elected) in 2015-2018, and fifth in 2018-2019. After this appointment, he will break the "world record" for the number of prime ministers. Reuters sees him as a pro-Western free-marketist with extensive experience dealing with the International Monetary Fund, which is currently discussing bailing out Sri Lanka. In addition, he has established good diplomatic channels with many countries.
Photo of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa tweeting of the signing of the document
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa congratulated Viklemasingha on his election that evening, saying, "I extend my best wishes to the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka who has stepped forward to shoulder the difficult task of leading our country through extraordinary times." I look forward to working with him to make Sri Lanka strong again." ”
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa tweeted
Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has just resigned, also congratulated him on Twitter, wishing the new prime minister "all the best in his troubled times." ”
Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa tweeted
However, Al Jazeera noted that Viklemasingha was only appointed after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had unsuccessfully invited several party leaders, including the leader of Sri Lanka's largest opposition party, Unite the People's Power, who all refused on the grounds that they wanted to resolve the country's economic crisis.
Sagala Ratnayaka, a state organizer for the United Party of Sri Lanka, said that When "no one accepted the challenge," Viklemasingha agreed to become prime minister, adding, "Now is not a good time to be Sri Lankan prime minister, it will be one of the toughest tasks for Viklemasingha." ”
Bhavani Fonseka, a think tank at the Center for Policy Choices, believes that Wickremesinghe's appointment as prime minister will not end the weeks-long protests, "The appointment did not bring what the protesters wanted, and the protesters' first call was for Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign." ”
The BBC noted that although Wickremesinghe has served as prime minister several times, none of them have been able to complete his term. The United Nationalist Party barely managed to win one parliamentary seat in the last election (Sri Lanka had a total of 255 seats in parliament), and Wickremesinghe became the party's only representative in parliament. It is reported that one of the main reasons why people dislike Viklemasingha is that he is too closely related to the Rajapaksa family.
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, said, "People want a man of integrity, not someone who has been defeated politically. ”
Wickremesinghe (infographic) Source: Al Jazeera
Affected by the epidemic and other factors, Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. Under the influence of foreign exchange shortages, shortages of materials, high prices and tight power supplies, protests demanding the removal of the current president have intensified since the beginning of April. After more than a month of peaceful demonstrations, which escalated into violent clashes on May 9, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa announced his resignation on the same day to ease the situation.
However, this move did not quell the riots, and the situation gradually improved until the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense issued a "local shooting order" on the 10th. As of press time, the country's unrest has killed at least nine people and injured more than 300 others.
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