Sri Lanka political crisis

If the northeast Indian Ocean is of strategic interest to Australia, then the current economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka ought to be a pressing concern for Canberra. 

Widely seen to be an ally of the Rajapaksas, his election could reignite fresh protests on the restive island.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised to step down, while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he would leave once a new government was in place.

“Gota” is finally gone, but ending Sri Lanka’s chronic instability will be an even harder task than ousting the Rajapaksas.

The president's selection of Wickremesinghe a five-time former prime minister, is an attempt to end the violence and restore international credibility.

Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, backed by the ruling coalition led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was re-elected deputy speaker after having resigned in April.

A majority vote in the 225-member Parliament would be needed to remove Rajapaksa and the Cabinet from power. 

MP (and former president) Sirisena says Gotabaya Rajapaksa has agreed to a national council and a new prime minister; the prime minister's spokesperson said that had not been communicated yet.

It was the first shooting by security forces amid weeks of protests against the Rajapaksa government and a worsening economic crisis.

Facing Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis, the Rajapaksa family's appeals to national security and Sinhala Buddhist nationalism may no longer be enough to keep them in power.