According to Wickremesinghe, initial plans required to implement a “systematic economic programme" are being formulated but it can only be carried out with the involvement of all political parties with representatives in Parliament, academic institutions, and civil society. In addition, he suggested opening a discussion with interested parties about reintroducing the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
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“The government is currently engaged in great efforts to gradually restore normalcy to the political and social unrest created by the economic crisis that the country is facing today," Wickremesinghe said in the letter on Friday.
By placing Parliament above the executive president, the 19A - adopted in 2015 - reduced the scope of the presidency. In 2015, Wickremesinghe served as the 19th Amendment's primary sponsor. But after Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the presidential election in November 2019, the 19A was repealed.
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On July 20, Sri Lankan MPs chose Wickremesinghe to lead the island nation as president. The majority of the votes came from members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, which Rajapaksa had led to his defeat.
Only two non-SLPP legislators were selected to the Cabinet on Friday. According to the constitution, the Cabinet may include up to 30 people. The 73-year-old President was chosen to complete Rajapaksa's term after he first fled to Singapore and then the Maldives. Rajapaksa is accused of handling the greatest economic crisis since 1948.
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Rajapaksa named Wickremesinghe prime minister in the middle of May. He was given the responsibility of restarting the economy by providing prompt remedies to the fuel, cooking gas, and electricity shortage issues that had caused widespread protests against Rajapaksa. In mid-April, the government declared bankruptcy by not paying its foreign debt.
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The severe petrol scarcity that has worsened since the final supply under the Indian credit line landed in the nation in June, according to Wickremesinghe, is one of his government's top objectives.
(With PTI inputs)
