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Tag: Ranil Wickremesinghe

  • Otumfuo receives official invitation to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

    King Charles III of Great Britain has extended an official invitation to the Asantehene to attend the state burial of Queen Elizabeth II.

    Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was invited to the lying-in-state of the late queen as well as the king’s reception, state funeral service, and the foreign secretary’s reception, according to the invitation that was delivered by the Protocol Directorate of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the British government on behalf of the king.

    It further stated that the Asantehene could bring his spouse or a companion to the state funeral, which is set for Monday, September 19, 2022.

    Otumfuo will be the second invitee to the queen’s funeral from Ghana, the first being President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who was reportedly invited as the president of Ghana, a Commonwealth nation.

    GhanaWeb can, however, not independently confirm if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has officially received his invitation.

    Invitations have also been sent to all leaders from the Commonwealth nations.

    So far, as the BBC reports, the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese; New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern; and Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, have all confirmed their participation in the funeral.

    The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, and the Sri Lankan president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, have also reportedly accepted invitations.

    Other world leaders who have confirmed they will be attending the state funeral include King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, royal families of Norway, Sweden, and Demark, Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, President of the United States of America, Joe Biden and the First Lady Jill Biden.

    View Otumfuo’s invitation below:

     

  • Sri Lanka: Ranil Wickremesinghe elected president

    Sri Lankan MPs have elected prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country’s new president, despite his unpopularity with the public.

    Mr Wickremesinghe faces the task of leading the country out of its economic collapse and restoring public order after months of mass protests.

    He roundly defeated his main rival for the job, Dullus Alahapperuma, with 134 votes to 82 in the parliamentary vote.

    Sri Lanka’s ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country last week.

    He bolted to the Maldives and then Singapore after thousands of protesters stormed his presidential residences and other government buildings, calling for his resignation.

    They had also called for the resignation of Mr Wickremesinghe, who was appointed prime minister in May. Protesters burnt down his private home and also stormed his prime ministerial office in Colombo in demonstrations against his leadership.

    Sri Lanka is effectively bankrupt and facing acute shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies.

    After his election, Mr Wickremesinghe told parliament the nation was “in a very difficult situation” adding that “we have big challenges ahead”.

    He is aiming to restore political stability so the country can resume negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout package. He has been involved in the talks so far.

    The 73-year-old also called on his political opponents to work with his government for the good of the country.

    Mr Wickremesinghe has been in Sri Lankan politics for 45 years and has previously twice run for presidency been prime minister six times.

    The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramnua (SLPP) party also said the majority of their members had backed Mr Wickremesinghe because of his economic credentials.

    “We feel that Ranil Wickremesinghe is the only person with the experience, the know-how and the capacity to provide solutions to the economic crisis,” General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam told the Reuters news agency.

    However Mr Wickremesinghe’s election may spark further unrest and mass protests. On Wednesday, ahead of the results, barricades were set up around the parliament and soldiers lined the perimeter in preparation for any protests.

    The past fortnight has seen demonstrators calling on Mr Wickremesinghe to step down, as they view him as part of the political elite who had mishandled Sri Lanka’s finances.

    But he has defied those calls and last week assumed the position of acting president after Mr Rajapaksa fled. His victory means he will serve out the rest of the presidential term until November 2024.

    His challenger Mr Alahapperuma is a dissident MP in the ruling party who gained the backing of the main opposition. He had pledged to bring a new cross-party government to Sri Lanka that would “put an end to the deceitful political culture”. However he failed to muster majority support.

    Source: BBC

     

  • Sri Lanka swears in Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting leader after mass protests

    Sri Lanka’s prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as acting president as the country reels from an economic crisis and unrest.

    He replaces Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled to Singapore after unprecedented mass protests which saw demonstrators overrun the presidential palace.

    Protesters defied a curfew to celebrate his resignation during the night.

    Sri Lanka is experiencing economic chaos as it faces an acute shortage of food, fuel and other basic supplies.

    The process of parliament electing a new president will begin on Saturday, with MPs likely to take a vote in a week’s time.

    Given the governing party has a majority, MPs are thought likely to back Mr Wickremesinghe, who has close links with the Rajapaksa family.

    But whether Sri Lanka’s public would accept this is another matter, because Mr Wickremesinghe’s resignation as PM was a key demand of protestors.

    Earlier this week, crowds stormed the former prime minister’s compound, clashing with security forces.

    A demonstrator, Manuri Pabasari, told the BBC at the time that a protest rally against Ranil Wickremesinghe was expected in the coming days.

    “He has no people’s mandate [and] is a well known Rajapaksa supporter,” she added. “I mean the new president and the new prime minister should be not a Rajapaksa supporter.”

    The governor of Sri Lanka’s central bank, Nandalal Weerasinghe, has warned the country may shut down if no stable government is formed soon.

    There was a “lot of uncertainty” over whether enough foreign exchange can be found to pay for essential petroleum, he told the BBC’s Newsnight programme, and progress on getting an international bailout package depended on having a stable administration.

    Meanwhile, Singapore says the ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa did not ask for political asylum when he arrived there.

    The former president, who arrived with his wife and two bodyguards, no longer has legal immunity as a head of state and his position is now more precarious as he tries to find a safe country to shelter in.

    He is expected to stay in Singapore for some time before possibly moving to the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lankan security sources told AFP news agency.

    Source: BBC

  • Sri Lanka political dynasty ends as Rajapaksa quits

    Sri Lanka’s parliament has accepted ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation, ending rule by a family that wielded power for nearly 20 years.

    Mr Rajapaksa quit after fleeing to Singapore amid mass protests over his mismanagement of the economy.

    Sri Lanka is in the grip of economic chaos as it faces an acute shortage of food, fuel and other basic supplies.

    Mr Rajapaksa’s resignation paves the way for the country to begin the process of electing a new president.

    Sri Lanka’s speaker of parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, said on Friday that he accepted Mr Rajapaksa’s resignation, which he received late on Thursday.

    He has called for parliament to convene on Saturday to start the process of electing a new leader. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as acting president.

    Parliament has up to a month to elect a new leader, who could be Mr Wickremesinghe.

    Mr Rajapaksa fled to Singapore on Thursday from the Maldives, as huge protests roiled Sri Lanka. He is believed to have wanted to leave Sri Lanka before stepping down in order to avoid the possibility of arrest under a new administration.

    The embattled leader arrived in Singapore earlier on Thursday after first flying to the Maldives on Tuesday night. Reports say he is accompanied by his wife and two bodyguards.

    Singapore’s foreign ministry said Mr Rajapaksa had not asked for asylum or been granted asylum. “Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum,” it added.

    Jubilation in the streets

    In the capital Colombo on Thursday, delighted demonstrators greeted news of the president’s departure with dancing.

    “We are beyond happy, but also beyond relieved so we can take a break and go back to our lives,” Viraga Perera told the BBC.

    Gotabaya Rajapaksa (file image)
    IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Image caption, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa defied calls for his resignation for months but has now fled

    But the crowds appeared smaller than before after Mr Wickremesinghe imposed a fresh round of curfews on Thursday to quell protests.

    The streets of Colombo were calmer as anti-government demonstrators began leaving some of the official buildings they had occupied.

    “We are peacefully withdrawing from the presidential palace, the presidential secretariat and the prime minister’s office with immediate effect, but will continue our struggle,” said a spokeswoman for the protesters.

    One person died and 84 others were injured during Wednesday’s protests, which took place at key landmarks around the capital, Colombo, including the prime minister’s office.

    Protesters broke into the presidential palace on Saturday and set fire to the prime minister’s private home.

    Police fired tear gas at protesters attempting to break down the gates of the prime minister’s office in Colombo, before finally forcing their way in. They later headed for parliament but did not get in.

    Wednesday saw some of the biggest demonstrations since the protests first began in April.

    Source: BBC