Lankan parties to reach consensus, propose PM's name to Speaker on Friday

Sri Lankan political parties after holding a discussion will reach a consensus and propose a name for the position of Prime Minister to the Speaker of the Parliament, local media reported.

Sri Lankan MP from Colombo Harsha de Silva said that after holding a discussion a name for the position of Prime Minister will be proposed to the Parliament Speaker tomorrow at 10 am.

Taking to Twitter, the MP wrote, "Responding to request by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to the Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker to propose a name by consensus for PM, opposition parties will today discuss with various parties and groups in government to get such consensus. We will propose this name to Speaker at 10 am tomorrow."

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Army soldiers are said to have been authorised to use the necessary force to prevent the destruction of property and life amid the ongoing protests in the Island nation in view of the severe economic and political crisis, Daily Mirror reported citing Army media.

In another key development, the protesters who have been occupying the President's house in Colombo have now vacated the premises.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife will stay in Singapore and not travel further to the Middle East. According to various media reports, the Sri Lankan President and his wife, who took Saudia Airlines flight SV788 to Singapore, were expected to travel to Jeddah.

Rajapaksa is expected to arrive in Singapore by 7 pm Thursday. Rajapaksa, his wife Ioma Rajapaksa, and two security officials were scheduled to board a Singapore Airlines flight last night from Male to Singapore but did not go ahead as scheduled due to security concerns, according to the Daily Mirror.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, had gone into hiding after crowds of protesters stormed his residence on July 9 and he had announced that he will hand over his resignation letter on Wednesday. Later, Rajapaksa along with his wife escaped to the Maldives. Subsequently, he appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the interim President of Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka, the curfew has been imposed from 12 pm today till 5 am tomorrow within the Colombo District, the government information department announced.

Earlier in the day, "GotaGoGama" protesters announced that they will peacefully hand over government-occupied buildings including President's house, Presidential Secretariat, and Prime Minister's office, aiming to restore peace in the country.

The country is facing a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies and is in the throes of its worst economic crisis with soaring inflation. The oil supply shortage has forced schools and government offices to close until further notice.

Reduced domestic agricultural production, a lack of foreign exchange reserves, and local currency depreciation have fuelled the shortages.

The economic crisis will push families into hunger and poverty - some for the first time - adding to the half a million people who the World Bank estimates have fallen below the poverty line because of the pandemic.