New Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe struggles to form government

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe suffered his first setback after taking office on Thursday when a leading opposition MP rejected his invitation to take the post of finance minister in a unity government.

Mr Wickremesinghe, 73, was appointed after his predecessor Mahinda Rajapksa resigned amid violent nationwide protests over an economic crisis that has caused months of shortages, rising prices and blackouts.

SRI LANKA, MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA

The veteran politician, who has been prime minister five times before, said he was confident of getting enough support to steer the country through the crisis and approached several potential allies to join his administration.

But on Friday opposition MP Harsha de Silva, an economist, publicly rejected an overture to take charge of the nation's finances and said he would instead push for the government's resignation.

Read More : https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/2022/05/13/new-sri-lanka-pm-ranil-wickremesinghe-struggles-to-form-government/

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