Based on the government notice issued on Sunday, Sri Lanka’s acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency, as his admiration seeks to stamp out social unrest and deal an economic crisis gripping the island nation. The notification reads, “It is expedient, so to do, in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services necessary to the life of the community.”
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is the ousted president of Sri Lanka, said he took all necessary steps to curb the economic crisis that has surrounded the entire nation. His resignation was welcomed by the Parliament on Friday. After thousands of ant-government protesters came out onto the streets of Colombo a week ago, he flew to the Maldives and then Singapore.
On Saturday, the Sri Lanka’s Parliament began the procedure to elect a new president and a shipment of fuel arrived to provide some relief to the nation, which is suffering from financial adversities. Leading to the prospect of further unrest, the ally of Rajapaksa, Wickremesinghe is one of the top contenders to take on the presidency full-time but protesters also want him gone.