Sri Lanka crisis: Gotabaya places four new proposals to end the political deadlock in the country

A protester watching an address to the nation by Sri Lanka;s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa near the President's office in Colombo on May 11.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on May 12 outlined four new proposals to address the political instability in the country.

On May 11, there were reports in the Sri Lankan media that former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and, later, former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka were contacted for the post of Prime minister. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka had warned that any more time lost to political instability will destroy the economy beyond repair.

In the new set of proposals, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has agreed, for the first time, to empower Parliament through a Constitutional amendment and also ‘consider’ the calls to end the executive presidency.

In a series of four tweets at 9.18 a.m. today, he said:

“Steps will be taken to form a new gov to prevent the country falling into anarchy & to maintain the affairs of the state that have come to a halt. A PM who commands majority in Parliament & is able to secure the confidence of the people will be appointed within this week.”

“The new gov will be given the opportunity to present a new program & empowered to take the country forward.

Further, steps will be taken to amend the constitution to re-enact the contents of the 19th Amendment to further empower the Parliament.”

“Calls from various factions for the abolition of the executive presidency will be considered. With the new government & their potential to stabilize the country, we will have an opportunity to discuss this & work towards a common consensus.”

“I humbly request assistance in maintaining the uninterrupted function of the state machinery in order to protect the lives of the people & their property. To maintain continuous supply of essentials without allowing the country to collapse at any point in time.”