Protesters vacate the last govt building, says will give Ranil Wickremesinghe time to act

While the protesters had vacated the President’s and Prime Minister’s residences and the Prime Minister’s office earlier — having captured them on July 9 — they were still camping at some rooms of the President’s secretariat at the Galle Face.

This gives some space to Wickremesinghe to govern and tide over the economic crisis he has inherited.

Earlier in the day, Wickremesinghe had said the views of the younger generation must be considered. Speaking to reporters, he had said the past system of two opposing factions has only ruined the country.

Stating that the youngsters of the nation have questioned why all parties cannot work together to build the nation, the newly elected President had said he intends to work together with all the political parties representing the Parliament.

On public protests, he had said it is not democracy to burn houses and take the office of the President and the PM under the guise of the people’s struggle. It is against the law, adding that action will be taken against those who oppose the law, he said.

The President’s office said the new Cabinet of Ministers will be appointed on Friday. It said that the swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Prime Minister’s Office at Flower Road.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa had a discussion with newly elected President Wickremesinghe during the party leaders’ meeting on Thursday. Premadasa said he had reiterated the Opposition’s determination to provide constructive support to avert misery and disaster.

He also said he had also proposed to strengthen the committee system in Parliament to achieve national consensus rather than dishing out ministerial portfolios to political opportunists resulting in a drain of scarce national resources.

On Wednesday, Wickremesinghe had tried to distance himself from the past in his first remarks after the election: “The people are not asking us for old politics. I request Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and other Opposition parties, including former Presidents Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena, to work together.”

“We were divided for the last 48 hours. That period is now over. We have to work together now,” he had said.

Veteran Sri Lanka politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected President of Sri Lanka by Parliament Wednesday. He replaced Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled the country and resigned after public anger over the country’s worst economic crisis exploded on the streets 10 days ago.

In the 225-member House, Wickremesinghe got 134 votes, Alahapperuma got 82, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) got three votes.

A six-time Prime Minister, Wickremesinghe faces a set of unprecedented economic challenges posed by a cash-strapped economy that needs to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund. In fact, Wickremesinghe has indicated that it’s the economy, not reforming the executive presidency, that is his main concern.