Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says the island nation needs to secure $75 million in foreign exchange in the next few days to pay for essential imports.
Newly appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe holds discussions with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank as he looks to steer the country through a dire economic crisis.
Ranil Wickremesinghe has served in the office five times and will be tasked to address a crippling economic crisis that has sparked deadly protests and stirred the political establishment.
Sri Lanka's new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa called a snap election on April 25 after sacking the national parliament where his party led a minority government.
Newly-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa picks his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president, to be the interim prime minister.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa spearheaded the military operation that ended his country's years-long insurgency but alienated minorities along the way.
Newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa can now appoint a caretaker government, dissolve Parliament next March and force new elections, or wait until next August when Parliament’s term ends.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a retired lieutenant colonel, nicknamed the "Terminator" by his own family, won 53-54 percent of the vote as his main rival Sajith Premadasa of the ruling party conceded the race.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will not be seeking a second term, paving the way for a record 35 candidates competing for the top job.
Sri Lanka goes to the polls on Saturday, and a minority vote could decide who will eventually rule the tiny island country.
Maithripala Sirisena has decided not to seek reelection next month. Meanwhile, the 35 candidates for the presidency are the most ever in Sri Lanka.
Sluggish economic growth, national security, endemic corruption and deep ethnic and religious divisions in the South Asian nation will be key issues at the upcoming polls.
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