Sri Lanka declares state of emergency ahead of vote for new president

Sri Lanka declares state of emergency ahead of vote for new president
July 18, 2022, 4:47 pm

Busy street in Sri Lanka (File photo: Pixabay)

Sri Lanka’s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency that went into effect on Monday, as the interim government seeks to quell unrest ahead of a vote in parliament later this week to elect a new leader, the Arabnews reported.

The island nation of 22 million people has suffered through shortages of essentials and days-long fuel queues for months, while foreign exchange reserves dwindled close to zero and headline inflation hit 54.6 percent in June.

Sri Lanka’s state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) have reduced the retail price of fuel.

The two state-owned oil companies reduced the retail price of fuel from Sunday evening, Xinhua news agency reported.

Wickremesinghe was sworn in as interim president on Friday after his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled abroad last week after resigning following months-long mass protests over the country’s economic meltdown.

Supporters of Sri Lanka’s ruling party shout at police during a clash with anti-government demonstrators, amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 9, 2022. (Reuters)

The acting president ordered the state of emergency “in the interest of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community,” an official notice said.

“There were elements within society who were attempting to disrupt the peace in the country,” Wickremesinghe said in a televised statement on Monday (July 18). “They would be prohibited from disrupting the country’s progress.”

Sri Lankan president flees the country amid economic crisis

Sri Lanka doesn't have enough fuel for essential services like buses, trains and medical vehicles, and officials say it doesn't have enough foreign currency to import more, the BBC reported.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned after fleeing to Singapore. Before stepping down he made Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe acting president.

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