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The turmoil in Sri Lanka explained

#turmoil #Sri #Lanka #explained

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has announced he will resign in the coming days after protesters stormed his residence and forced him to flee offshore in a naval ship.

His announcement came after hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Colombo, ending months of protests by people despondent and angry at the island nation’s severe economic crisis.

– Who are the Rajapaksas? –

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, president since 2019, is just one member of a clan that has dominated politics in the South Asian nation of 22 million for decades.

Brother Mahinda, 76, served as president for a decade until 2015, overseeing the bloody end of Sri Lanka’s long-running civil war in 2009, when Gotabaya – dubbed “The Terminator” – headed the security services.

Under Mahinda, Sri Lanka drew closer to China, borrowing billions of dollars for vanity projects like cricket stadiums and airports, and a deep-sea port that has since been leased to Beijing.

– What happened to the economy? –

The vital tourism sector was hit first by Islamist extremist bombings of churches and hotels in 2019 and then by the coronavirus pandemic.

Its coffers were further drained by government tax cuts, and Sri Lanka ran out of the foreign exchange needed to import everything from medicines to food and fuel.

Even with help from India and others, the country defaulted on its $51 billion external debt in April and has been in bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund for months.

– How did this affect normal people? –

Sri Lankans have suffered for months from medicine and food shortages and power outages, while petrol and diesel stations have run out despite pleas from Russia and others for discounted oil.

Unofficial inflation rates are second only to Zimbabwe’s, making many commodities – if they can be found – too expensive for many people to afford.

The United Nations has warned that Sri Lanka is facing a serious humanitarian crisis with millions already in need of assistance.

More than three quarters of the population had reduced their food intake due to the country’s severe food shortages, according to the UN.

– Why is Rajapaksa still in office? –

After months of protests, Rajapaska loyalists rampaged in May. At least nine people were killed in nationwide violence, while the homes of members of the ruling party were set on fire.

Mahinda resigned as prime minister – escorted from his residence by security forces – but Gotabaya clung to it and appointed veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe, 73, as prime minister.

Wickremesinghe has little to show for his efforts and on Saturday his home was torched by protesters – he was absent – although he offered to resign as well.

– What now? –

Gotabaya will officially step down on Wednesday to ensure a “peaceful transition” while protesters occupy his presidential palace and pose for selfies, according to the Speaker of Parliament.

A successor must be elected by a parliamentary vote within a month of Rajapaksa’s departure, but the speaker promised a new leader within a week. However, on Sunday it was unclear who could garner enough support among lawmakers to become Rajapaksa’s successor.

“We are heading towards dangerous uncertainty,” Tamil Minority MP Dharmalingam Sithadthan told AFP. “Gota should have resigned immediately without leaving a power vacuum.”

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