Renil Wickremesinghe to be the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka; oath-taking ceremony at 6.30 pm, court bans Mahinda Rajapaksa from leaving the country

COLOMBO: Amid violent protests in Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe will take over as the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka today. The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. The decision was taken after a meeting with President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Gotabhaya had yesterday announced that a new Prime Minister would be selected.

Renil Wickremesinghe has been the leader of the United National Party since 1994. He has previously served as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka four times. He has twice been the Leader of the Opposition. Vikramasinghe is also known for his pro-India stance.

Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan court has barred former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, his son Namal and 15 other allies from leaving the country for unleashing violence against anti-government protesters.

Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Prime Minister on Monday following unrest in the country. When the attempt to suppress the protesters who surrounded the official residence failed, Rajapaksa had no choice but to resign. Nine people were killed and about 200 were injured in the violence.

The protesters had set fire to Mahinda's family home in Hambantota and his residence in Kurunegala City. The protesters also set fire to the official residences of former ministers Johnston Fernando, four MPs and two mayors. The ruling party MPs were attacked by students. Party offices were also set on fire. Protesters set fire to several buses and vehicles.

The collapse of tourism revenue due to Covid and the debt incurred from China have devastated the Sri Lankan economy. Inflation soared as the government devalued the Sri Lankan rupee by 36 per cent to address the crisis. Prices of essential commodities soared. Food, fuel, cooking gas and medicine were not available. The price of rice and milk has quadrupled. Fishing stopped without diesel and kerosene. Due to shortage of printing paper, examinations were postponed. The country was plunged into darkness as power plants were shut down. This led to protest in the country and then the resignation of Mahinda Rajapaksa.