Sri Lanka: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa escapes a vote of no confidence
Protesters shout slogans against Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa near the Presidential Secretariat amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 10, 2022. REUTERS - DINUKA LIYANAWATTE
Text by: RFI Follow
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The Sri Lankan president avoided a motion of no confidence on Tuesday, May 17, after his divided coalition rallied behind him to delay a resolution holding him responsible for the historic economic crisis in the Asian country. from South.
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The shaky coalition of Gotabaya Rajapaksa voted against the adoption of the
unprecedented “
parliament dissatisfaction ” motion.
The non-binding motion was proposed by the main Tamil opposition party, the Tamil National Alliance, claiming to echo thousands of anti-government protesters.
Thousands of protesters were still camped outside the presidency building in Colombo, demanding the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa since April 9.
Worst economic crisis
The country of 22 million people is facing
its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948
, suffering for months from shortages of essential goods, long daily power cuts and record inflation.
The president's older brother, Mahinda, resigned as prime minister last week and, in an attempt to defuse growing public anger, the president has appointed
Ranil Wickremesinghe, an opposition politician
, to replace him. .
The new Sri Lankan Prime Minister obtained on Monday the crucial support of the two main opposition parties, which decided to make common cause to tackle the economic crisis overwhelming the island.
The swearing-in ceremony for a "
unity government
", originally scheduled to take place on Monday afternoon, has been postponed due to ongoing talks over the allocation of portfolios.
"
Out of gas
"
“
We're out of gas.
At the moment, we only have oil stocks for one day
,” Ranil Wickremesinghe said in an address to the nation on Monday, warning that his country could face more difficulties in the coming months.
He added that the government was also unable to raise funds to pay for the delivery of three cargoes of oil on board vessels waiting off the port of Colombo.
Most gas stations in the capital were closed on Tuesday and long lines of motorists waited outside the few gas stations still open to get their fuel rations.
(with AFP)
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