Sri Lankans elect Marxist-leaning Dissanayake as president to fix economy
Colombo, Sri Lanka Reuters Sri Lankans elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as new president on Sunday, putting faith in his pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following the South Asian nation’s worst financial crisis in decades. Dissanayake, 55, who does not possess political lineage like some of his rivals in the […]
Sri Lanka: How the 2022 ‘Aragalaya’ revolt hangs heavy over presidential vote
UDITHA JAYASINGHE and SUDIPTO GANGULY, of Reuters, report from Colombo ahead of Saturday’s presidential election…
Sri Lanka swears in new President amid worst economic crisis in decades
Colombo, Sri Lanka Reuters Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new President on Thursday, a day after winning a vote in parliament and urging the island nation to come together to find a way out of its worst economic crisis in decades. The six-time Prime Minister succeeded Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled […]
Updated: Sri Lanka gets new president in six-time PM Wickremesinghe
Updated: 10.40pm, 21st July, 2022 (AEST) Colombo, Sri Lanka Reuters Sri Lankan lawmakers voted in acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new President on Wednesday, hoping his long experience in government can help pull the country out of a crippling economic and political crisis. The six-time Prime Minister won 134 votes in the 225-member parliament, […]
Sri Lanka could tip back to chaos if six-time PM voted president
Colombo, Sri Lanka Reuters Sri Lanka’s parliament will choose between three candidates for president on Wednesday, hoping the new leader will be able to pull the island out of its worst economic and political crisis since independence in 1948. But a win for acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, one of the main two contenders but opposed […]
Sri Lanka’s ousted President says he “took all possible steps” to prevent crisis
Colombo, Sri Lanka Reuters Sri Lanka’s ousted President, who fled overseas this week to escape a popular uprising against his government, has said he took “all possible steps” to avert the economic crisis that has engulfed the island nation. Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation was accepted by parliament on Friday. He flew to the Maldives and then […]
Sri Lankan President hands in resignation after fleeing to Singapore
Colombo, Sri Lanka/Singapore Reuters Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa submitted a letter of resignation on Thursday, a spokesperson for the parliament speaker said, hours after fleeing to Singapore following mass protests over an economic meltdown. The announcement triggered jubilation in the commercial capital Colombo where protesters massed outside the presidential secretariat, defying a city-wide curfew. […]
Updated: Sri Lankan President flees to Maldives as protests end clan dominance
Updated: 3:15pm (AEST) Colombo, Sri Lanka Reuters Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country early on Wednesday, two sources told Reuters, hours before he was due to step down amid widespread protests over his handling of a devastating economic crisis. Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards left aboard a Sri Lankan Air Force plane, […]