Sri Lanka polls: Opposition leader appeals India to support nation in crisis
1 min read 20 Jul 2022, 09:39 AM ISTLeader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa has made an appeal to India to keep supporting Sri Lanka, irrespective of who is elected at the top position today.
PremiumAhead of the Sri Lanka Presidential election to elect new President for replacing Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled abroad leaving citizens in a dire economic crisis, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa requested India to keep supporting the island nation to come out of the “disaster".
Premadasa on Tuesday evening took to Twitter and said, “Irrespective of who becomes the President of Sri Lanka tomorrow it is my humble and earnest request to Hon. PM Shri@narendramodi, to all the political parties of India and to the people of India to keep helping mother Lanka and it’s people to come out of this disaster."
Sri Lanka is facing a huge economic crisis, with over 20 million of its population facing months of lengthy blackouts, acute food and fuel shortages and galloping inflation.
Notably, Sri Lanka needs about $5 billion in the coming six months to cover necessities for its 22 million population, who have been struggling with long queues, worsening shortages, and power cuts.
Street protests over the Sri Lanka economic crisis forced former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign on July 13 this year. The protestors accused Rajapaksa and members of his government of mismanaging the country's economy which led to huge crisis.
For the first time in past 44 years, the Parliament in Sri Lanka will directly elect a President in a triangular contest to replace Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled abroad after his residence was stormed by angry agitators for mismanaging the economy.
The Parliament will choose between three candidates for the Sri Lanka Presidential election today, hoping the new leader will be able to pull the island out of its worst economic and political crisis.
The three main contenders are acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, former journalist Dallas Alahapperuma, and Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, the leader of the leftist Janatha Vimukti Peramuna party.
The new president of Sri Lanka will serve the remaining tenure of Rajapaksa till November 2024.
