Sri Lanka President willing to form interim govt, says Buddhist monk: Report
Premium- President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has also agreed to present a new Constitution if the Parliament approves of it, Daily Mirror reported
COLOMBO : Amid ongoing severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has expressed the will to form an interim government in order to resolve the ongoing crisis.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic , the island country Sri Lanka slipped into a dire economic crisis due to debt troubles, liquidity problems, and minimum foreign reserves leading to long power outages, and scarcity of fuel impacting manufacturing industries and the middle class.
Rajapaksa also faced huge protests as citizen demanded his resignation for his inability to control the situation.
Rajapaksa conveyed his willingness to form an interim government to the Mahanayake of the three Chapters who are high-ranking Buddhist monks overseeing and regulating the Buddhist clergy in Theravada Buddhist countries, reported Daily Mirror.
The Sri Lanka President has also agreed to present a new Constitution if the Parliament approves of it, Daily Mirror reported citing Ven. Medagama Dhammananda Thera, the Chief Registrar of the Asgiri Chapter.
Earlier, Mahanayaka Theras had urged the President, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and other parliament members to take necessary action to bring order to the country. He added that failure to do so will force the Mahanayaka Theras to issue a Sangha Convention.
The Mahanayaka Theras of Asgiri, Malwathu, Ramanya, and Amarapura chapters issued a statement insisting on the appointment of a multi-party Cabinet, by repealing the 20th Amendment, which removed checks and balances between the legislature and the executive and to refrain from suppressing mass protests, Daily Mirror reported.
Earlier, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa asserted that if an interim government is formed, it should be led by him only.
Sri Lanka is gripped by one of the worst-hit economic crises since the country gained independence in 1948.
Due to energy shortages, some parts of Sri Lanka have rolled blackouts while the country's foreign debt is estimated at USD 51 billion.