New Delhi: The first session of Sri Lanka’s Parliament under the new president Ranil Wickremesinghe is ready to convene on Wednesday. During the parliament session, the state of emergency will be approved to put an end to the social unrest, an official announcement said on Tuesday, PTI reported.
In terms of Sri Lanka’s law, the state of emergency must be approved by Parliament within 14 days of its imposition. The emergency regulations empower police and the military to arrest and detain individuals and carry out searches at private properties.
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Wickremesinghe, as interim president on July 17, declared a state of emergency after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka to escape a popular uprising against his government's economic mismanagement.
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Earlier, Wickremesinghe, an ally of Rajapaksa, was elected as the country’s president by parliamentarians in a tri-cornered fight. It was for the first time in 44 years that Sri Lanka's Parliament directly elected a president.
According to PTI, there are talks to expand the cabinet into an 18-member Parliament and form an all-party government.
Cabinet spokesman and minister Bandula Gunawardena told reporters on Tuesday that Rajapaksa was not in hiding and is expected to return from Singapore, as per the PTI report.
Sri Lanka has seen months of mass unrest over the worst economic crisis, many blame the former government led by Rajapaksa and his family for mishandling the island nation's economy.