Sri Lanka's President Rajapaksa to Appoint New Prime Minister, Lift Curfew

Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has promised that a new prime minister and cabinet will be named this week to end political instability in the country. The government will also lift a nationwide curfew on Thursday for a few hours.

In a televised address, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that he without partisanship condemns attacks on peaceful protesters by mobs who came to support his brother and former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who resigned on Monday.

"I am working to form a new government this week to control the current situation and prevent the country from falling into anarchy," Rajapaksa said. "This week, I will be appointing a Prime Minister and a Cabinet who are able to win the confidence of the majority in Parliament and will strengthen the confidence of the people of the country."

Rajapaksa also said he will also give away much of his powers to Parliament and when some normalcy returns, take steps to abolish the country's powerful executive presidential system.

The president's speech came as authorities deployed armored vehicles and troops in the streets of the capital on Wednesday, two days after pro-government mobs attacked peaceful protesters, triggering a wave of violence across the country.

Security forces have been ordered to shoot those deemed to be participating in the violence, as sporadic acts of arson and vandalism continued despite a strict nationwide curfew that began on Monday evening.

Asela Waidyalankara, a cybersecurity professional, said there was "chaos and crisis and uncertainty everywhere".

Waidyalankara said people expected clarity but noted that the speech was "vague and did not provide any answers".

Anti-government protesters have been demanding the resignations of President Rajapaksa and his brother, over a debt crisis that has nearly bankrupted Sri Lanka and left its people facing severe shortages of fuel, food and other essentials.

In the past few days, nine people have died and more than 200 have been injured in violent attacks in which mobs set fire to buildings and vehicles.

A Rajapaksa ruling party coalition partner is open to backing opposition leader Sajith Premadasa as prime minister if he’s willing to accept the post, a news report had said earlier Wednesday. Premadasa has, in the past, rejected the likelihood of working under Rajapaksa.

The country’s central bank chief has threatened to quit if political stability isn’t restored at the earliest.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained

Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world.

To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app.

Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake

Connect with us on…

Breaking News on YouTube