Emergency declared in Sri Lanka ahead of presidential election

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 18

Acting Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremsinghe on Monday declared a "State of Emergency" in the country and claimed that talks with the IMF for a bailout package are in the final stages.

The notification declaring emergency came two days before the Sri Lankan Parliament votes on electing a new President on Wednesday for which Wickremsinghe is a frontrunner.

Wickremsinghe had declared a nationwide curfew last week after Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced the schedule of electing a new President by Members of Parliament.

Several influential countries, including India and the US, have called on Sri Lanka to go by the existing provisions in electing a new leadership. In fact, India's High Commissioner in Colombo Gopal Bagley met the Speaker last week and underlined the need for a peaceful, democratic transition of leadership.

India remains Sri Lanka's sole bilateral benefactor and American support is vital for securing loan from the IMF. Hence, the declaration of a state of emergency would be a precautionary measure to ensure protests do not go out of hand in case the new President is not acceptable to the protesters in Colombo who completed the 100th day of their sit-in on Sunday.

Meanwhile, India's strategy will be discussed when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman brief party leaders of all parties on Tuesday.

Both the DMK and AIADMK have demanded that India intervene effectively in Sri Lanka especially to avert a refugee influx of Tamils. A few stray instances of families landing in Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka have already occurred. Jaishankar has assured that India is ready to provide all help to Sri Lanka.

But there are voices that seek an economic bailout in return for a strategic toehold for India at a time when most countries have turned reluctant in bailing out the island country. China has given just $80 million in aid and the Japanese have declined, saying there is a risk of financial assistance being mismanaged.

Wickremesinghe remains the frontrunner as the Sri Lanka People’s Party of the Rajapaksa clan has decided to back him.

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