In Sri Lanka, nine new ministers were appointed on Friday May 20, making up a ” multiparty government responsible for bringing the country out of tensions and the worst economic crisis in its history. The post of Minister of Finance remains vacant for the time being.
In Colombo, the nine new ministers composing the government of Sri Lanka were sworn in on Friday May 20 before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his official residence in the capital.
Two MPs from the SJB, the main opposition party, broke ranks and joined the government. Another opposition party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, having agreed to support President Rajapaksa, was given a portfolio on Friday.
Shortages
For lack of foreign currency, the island can no longer finance its imports and the population has suffered for months from shortages of food, medicine, fuel, long power cuts and record inflation.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, appointed last week, is expected to be given the finance portfolio when there is another cabinet enlargement next week.
Ranil Wickremesinghe” will be sworn in next week as finance minister in addition to being prime minister “, told AFP a spokesman for his office.
This United National Party deputy, who has only one of the 225 seats in parliament, succeeded Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president’s elder brother, forced to resign on May 9, after bloody clashes that left nine dead and more than 200 injured.
Talks
Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe says street violence like last week and the government’s inability to appoint a finance minister could delay the outcome of negotiations with creditors and the Fund international monetary policy (IMF).
Talks with the IMF for a possible bailout are still ongoing, but a final deal requires the approval of a finance minister, the governor added Thursday.
He further announced that there would be no debt service payments, estimated at $51 billion, until the country is able to restructure it.
Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday asked public sector employees not to go to work on Friday and to take a long weekend due to the extreme shortage of gasoline which handicaps the country of 22 million inhabitants.
(with AFP)