Ranil Wickremesinghe Takes Oath As Sri Lankan PM Amid Continued Protests

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today appointed veteran political leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister of the crisis-torn country. President Rajapaksa, who in an address to the nation yesterday had declared that a Prime Minister and his cabinet will be put in place this week, administered the oath of office to 73-year-old Wickremesinghe.

As the island country’s largest opposition party refused to join government headed by a member of Rajapaksa clan, Mr Wickremesinghe — a four-time Prime Minister of the country — appeared the only option.

Wickremesinghe is head of the United National Party(UNP). The SJB, which is a breakaway faction of the UNP, currently forms the principal opposition party.

After the sustained economic deterioration and crisis of historic level, Sri Lanka was plunged into chaos on Monday as Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped down from his post.

A large scale violence and arson broke out in Sri Lanka yesterday after Rajapaksa supporters attacked the peaceful anti-government protesters. 

Mahinda Rajapaksa, his politician son Namal and 15 allies were banned from leaving the island country by a local court Thursday over acts of violence against anti-government demonstrators.

Rajapaksa and key aides, as per victim’s of Monday violence, had bussed around 3,000 of their supporters into the capital. The former PM and his associates allegedly incited these supporters to attack peaceful protesters.

The mobs loyal to Rajapaksas came out of his residence and attacked anti-government demonstrators with sticks and clubs. These actions led to hospitalisation of around 255 protestors, Buddhist monks and Catholic priests.

Thefire of vengeance soon spread across the country, resulting into houses of Rajapaksa loyalists being set on fire.