17-04-2023 : The President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, is expected to make a fresh call for the formation of an all-party government for the country when the Parliament debates the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme next week. This call was reported by a senior opposition party leader on Monday. The IMF approved a USD 3 billion bailout programme in March to help Sri Lanka overcome its economic crisis and catalyse financial support from other development partners. This move was welcomed by Colombo as a “historic milestone” in the critical period.
Wickremesinghe, who is also the country’s finance minister, is keen to win the approval of the 225-member assembly for the IMF bailout package, which is seen as a timely antidote to Sri Lanka’s economic travails. In July last year, he urged lawmakers from all political parties to put their differences aside and work towards lifting Sri Lanka out of the throes of the economic crisis.
The leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance, Mano Ganesan, told the media that Wickremesinghe will make an open invitation to all political parties to join the national government when Parliament meets on April 25 to debate the IMF bailout programme. Currently, Wickremesinghe heads a cabinet of SLPP ministers. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party led by the powerful Rajapaksa family voted for Wickremesinghe, the leader of the United National Party (UNP), as the president in July last year.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Great Britain in 1948, triggered by a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. In April last year, Sri Lanka declared its international debt default due to the forex crisis. Earlier this month, Sri Lanka’s election commission announced the postponement of the local body polls, which were scheduled to be held on April 25, due to an acute shortage of funds.