Editor's Pick

11 JULY 2022

In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper.

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Sri Lanka scrambles to form new government amid public fury

Sri Lankans are living through a harrowing economic collapse, with accessing essentials such as fuel, food, and medicines becoming an everyday battle. In a culmination of public anger over their government's continued failure to address the country's long-simmering economic crisis, Sri Lankans in large numbers thronged Colombo's seafront, where anti-government protests have persisted for three months. Demonstrators Saturday stormed the Presidential palace, the Secretariat, and the official residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and occupied the country's seats of power, in a rare display of public fury. Arsonists torched Mr. Wickremesinghe's private residence.

In the wake of the protests, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mr. Wickremesinghe pledged to resign while political parties in the country scrambled to form an all-party government. The two top leaders have not formally handed their resignations yet. While Mr. Gotabaya has informed the Speaker that he will step down on July 13, Mr. Wickremesinghe is awaiting an alternative all-party government to be ready to take over before he steps down.

Leaders of political parties met on Saturday and Sunday demanding the immediate resignation of the President and the Prime Minister, and agreeing that Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is made Acting President as per the Constitution.

The road to forming an all-party government is going to be tricky as Mr. Rajapaksa's party, the People's Front, still holds a parliamentary majority. The Opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB or United People's Power), which has nearly 50 seats in the 225-member House is in talks with various parties and independent groups. Almost all parties, however, are apprehensive, knowing that a possible stint in the next government may impact their chances of winning back the trust of angry voters in the next elections that most of them want to be held in about six months.

The story of the Sri Lankan crisis appears on the front page of The Hindu as the neighbouring country stands at a historic crossroads. As this editorial points out, the next few days will show whether the political class can rise above its differences to bring the island nation on the path to stability.

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