COLOMBO, July 21 (Reuters) : New Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will appoint an ally of the ousted Rajapaksa dynasty as prime minister, four sources said on Thursday, a day after urging unity to find a way out of the country's worst economic crisis in decades.
Wickremesinghe, a six-time prime minister, succeeded Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled Sri Lanka and resigned from his post last week after mass protests over his handling of the economy. A swearing-in ceremony was conducted in parliament on Thursday.
He is expected to appoint Dinesh Gunewardena, a former foreign and education minister, as prime minister along with a new cabinet on Friday, the sources, close to Wickremesinghe and Gunewardena, said.
The country of 22 million people has been crippled by a lack of foreign currency, triggering shortages of fuel, food and medicines as prices soar.
Inflation hit an annual 59% in June, according to the statistics department.
Protesters succeeded in removing Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, ex-premier Mahinda Rajapaksa, but many want Wickremesinghe and others they see as allies of the family gone too.
Sri Lanka received fresh diesel supplies over the weekend, and the main state-run distributor, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, will restart sales under a new rationing system from Thursday, the power and energy ministry said.
Wickremesinghe sworn in
New president to appoint Rajapaksa ally as PM
FE Team | Published: July 22, 2022 00:26:28
Wickremesinghe sworn in
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