AFP PHOTOCOLOMBO: Beleaguered Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was set to name a new prime minister on Thursday to try to steer his South Asian island nation out of its dire economic crisis after days of violence, officials said. "A swearing-in is likely today unless there is a last-minute hiccup," a senior official close to the president told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "I will name a prime minister who will command a majority in parliament and the confidence of the people," Rajapaksa said in the televised speech. Mahinda resigned as prime minister on Monday after his supporters attacked anti-government supporters and started riots in Colombo. However, about a dozen members of parliament from the SJB pledged support to Wickremesinghe, 73, who has been prime minister five times since 1993 and is seen as a pro-West free-market reformist.

Source: Manila Times May 12, 2022 22:25 UTC