Wickremesinghe chosen Sri Lanka PM in effort to quell crisis
By KRISHAN FRANCIS and BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
Associated Press
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Five-time former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been reappointed in an effort to bring stability to the island nation that’s engulfed in a political and economic crisis. Wickremesinghe is a contentious choice by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and took his oath at the president’s residence. Protesters have blocked the entrance to the president’s office for more than a month. The president’s brother resigned as prime minister on Monday following violent attacks by supporters on peaceful anti-government protesters. Protesters for weeks have demanded that the Rajapaksas brothers resign over a debt crisis that has nearly bankrupted the country and caused severe shortages of fuel, food and other essentials.