Sri Lanka's main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) on Monday unanimously decided to nominate Sajith Premadasa for the interim president's post.
This comes after his Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party held talks with allies to get support for the move.
In the 2019 Sri Lankan Presidential Election, Premadasa was defeated by Gotabaya Rajapaksa who campaigned on a pro-nationalistic, economic development and national security platform in which Rajapaksa received 6,924,255 votes (52.25% of the total votes) and a 1,360,016 vote majority over Premadasa, who polled 41.99% of the total votes.
Following the election Premadasa stepped down from all ministerial portfolios and posts including the post of Deputy Leader of the United National Party.
Rajapaksa To Resign
President Rajapaksa announced that he plans to resign this week, and the speaker of parliament has said lawmakers will choose the next president on 20 July.
SJB said that the party secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara submitted the proposal and it was seconded by party chairman Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka at the parliamentary group held this afternoon, reported Newswire.
SJB has nearly 50 MPs in Parliament and to win a Parliament vote they need the support of 113 MPs.
In a statement to the media, Sajith Premadasa said that the opposition is ready to lead the program of stabilizing the country and building the country's economy.
The opposition leader said that there is no alternative solution other than the appointment of the government led by a new President and the Prime Minister.
An Uphill Task
Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented economic crisis which has brought thousands to the streets since March. The country has run out of cash and is struggling to import basic items like food, fuel and medicine.
The country's usable reserves have dropped to around $250m, according to local media reports.
The crippling shortage of fuel has devastated public transport. There are rolling power cuts as power plants lack enough fuel to function. Schools are closed this week as well due to the fuel crisis. Many people are trying to leave the country.
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