Emergency clamped in Lanka ahead of presidential election

A demonstrator prepares headbands with slogans against interim Ranil Wickremesinghe, in Colombo on Sunday. Pic/AFP

Sri Lanka's Acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday declared a state of emergency giving him broad powers ahead of the crucial presidential election on Wednesday, a move dubbed as an "undemocratic draconian act" by the opposition leaders amid growing demands for his resignation.

This means that security forces gain the power to search, arrest, seize and remove weapons and explosives, and enter and search premises or persons.

Wickremesinghe, who was sworn-in as acting president on Friday after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives and then to Singapore from where he resigned in the face of public revolt against his government's mishandling of the country's economy, imposed the emergency as protests demanding his resignation too have continued in most parts of the country.

Wickremesinghe in the notification said that he was of the opinion enforcing public emergency was required in Sri Lanka in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community.

The 225-member Parliament is expected to elect the new president on July 20. The seat fell vacant after Rajapaksa's resignation last week.

20
Date in July when the prez poll will be held

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