Sri Lanka crisis 2022

The recently elected Sri Lankan president has started badly, by using troops to forcibly vacate protest sites in Colombo.

He will remain in the post until Parliament elects a new president to serve out the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s term, ending in 2024.

Public ire turns against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has been appointed acting president.

The country needs a credible government that enjoys legitimacy in the eyes of the people. Forming one will be a herculean task.

Sri Lankan economists warn that the country could face a famine-like situation in a few months.

Families that never had to worry about food or fuel are now cutting back on meals and eating less.

The aim is to dilute the executive presidency, but there are differences on the extent to which the president’s powers should be clipped.

Financial hardship persists but there is growing hope among Sri Lankans that Ranil Wickremsinghe will see them through the tough times.

One member of the Sri Lankan diaspora reflects on the agony of watching his motherland lurch from crisis to crisis. 

India received many concessions from the Rajapaksas in recent years and has vested interests in the status quo.

The decline of the Rajapaksas has adversely hit Chinese fortunes in the Indian Ocean island and sullied its image among other Belt and Road partners.