Ranil Wickremesinghe, appointed prime minister on Thursday, said he would give a "full explanation" of the financial crisis that has devastated the country. "There is a lot to be done and undone. We are prioritising matters, rest assured they shall be addressed as early as possible," he said in a series of tweets on Sunday.
The economic crisis in the country led to widespread protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family. The fighting between government supporters and protesters killed 9 people and wounded 300. Following this, prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced to resign and Wickremesinghe was appointed as the new PM.
But the protesters have said they will keep up their campaign as long as Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains president. They have also labelled Wickremesinghe a stooge and criticised his appointment of four cabinet minister, all members of the political party run by the Rajapaksa brothers.
Hit hard by the pandemic, rising oil prices and populist tax cuts by the Rajapaksas, Sri Lanka is in the midst of a crisis unparalleled since its independence in 1948.
(With inputs from agencies)
