Colombo: Important talks on the possibility of forming an all-party government to deal with Sri Lanka’s economic slowdown will take place on Friday evening, officials and political leaders said here.
Sri Lanka’s newly-elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday invited political parties to form an all-party government to tide over the current economic crisis as parliament reconvened after a seven-day adjournment.
Officials and political leaders said the talks would take place on Friday evening.
“We expect the president to take a new approach, if collective action is not taken, the country will be devastated,” former President Maithripala Sirisena told reporters here.
Vasudev Nanayakara, a veteran leader of the ruling coalition’s 10-party separate group, said he would be watching Wickremesinghe’s vision closely.
“Wickramasinghe has said that he was formulating a plan to find a solution to the economic and political impasse. He is going to know our views, hope the talks will be successful,” Nanayakara said.
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However, the main opposition party Samagi Jana Balvegaya (SJB) said that their vision is to have a common all-party program instead of an all-party government.
“We are ready to contribute and strengthen the inspection committee system,” said Tissa Atnayake, national organizer of the SJB.
United National Party (UNP) leader Wickremesinghe was elected president by lawmakers on 20 July – the first such occasion since 1978. The 73-year-old president was appointed to serve the remainder of the term of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled. Resigned on 13 July due to a popular revolt against his government for the mismanagement of the economy of the country and the island nation.
Most of his support in the 225-member parliament came from Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party.
A constitutional amendment to strengthen the role of parliament has been gazetted recently, while the interim budget, to be presented early next month, is expected to announce much-needed reforms in the economy.
Sri Lanka has seen widespread unrest over the worst economic crisis in months, with the government declaring bankruptcy in mid-April by refusing to honor its international debt.