Colombo, July 18, (dpa/GNA) – Sri Lanka’s acting president called a state of emergency on Monday, amid ongoing political turmoil, as the South Asian nation seeks to pick a new leadership after its last president was ousted by protesters angered by the country’s economic collapse.
“It is expedient, so to do, in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services, essential to the life of the community,” Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a statement.
The declaration came as a key university student union called for a general strike on Tuesday, the day when Parliament will call for nominations for a presidential vote. That vote, among the 225 members of Parliament, is set for Wednesday.
The acting president also instructed the police to monitor social media, after messages were posted stating that members of parliament who vote against the will of the protesters, would be blocked from returning to their homes.
Protesters have been campaigning against Wickremesinghe, claiming he is an ally of Gotabaya Rajapaksa who was president until he fled the country last week, after nationwide mass protests calling for his resignation.
Wickremesinghe was sworn in as acting president on Friday. He is also the country’s prime minister.
A new head of state is due to be picked on Wednesday, and Wickremesinghe is one of two front-runners to take on the presidential role permanently. There are four candidates.
Security around the parliamentary complex has also been strengthened.
Sri Lanka, an island state of some 22 million people, is currently in its most severe economic crisis for decades, with drastic fuel shortages.
Protests have largely subsided since Rajapaksa fled the country and resigned, but some 500 people continue to occupy parts of the presidential palace after it was stormed by demonstrators at the height of the civil unrest.
GNA