Sri Lanka’s acting president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has again declared a state of emergency in the country, days before Parliament elects a new president. With the nomination of the former prime minister by his party, Sri Lanka Pudjana Perumona (SLPP), to remain in the presidency, calls are growing for his departure as an observer.

It is not yet clear what the latest emergency will entail. The military is usually deployed under a state of emergency against protests and protesters can be arrested more easily.

Wickremesinghe has been acting president since Friday. Shortly before that, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled in response to the massive anti-government protests, which saw protesters storm his home and swim in the presidential pool. Show Wednesday Rajapaksa his resignation He appointed Wickremesinghe as acting president. He was sworn in on Friday.

The protesters hold the Rajapaksa government responsible for the deep economic crisis in the country, which is suffering from severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Wickremesinghe is seen as an ally of Rajapaksa, and his departure is now required. And he himself swears that important steps are being taken to address the major shortage.

The acting president wrote in a statement that the state of emergency is necessary to restore calm to the country. “Elements within society want to destabilize the peace so that the country does not have a chance to recover,” he said. Recently, Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency several times with similar arguments.

Wickremesinghe says talks with the IMF about the support package are in their final stages. He also sees opportunities in talks with other countries. The International Monetary Fund has yet to respond to his allegations.

Furthermore, he faces Wickremesinghe CNN Severely on the Rajapaksa government. He accuses the government of lying about the country’s poor financial situation. According to him, Sri Lanka went bankrupt and had to turn to the International Monetary Fund for support. He said the country could stabilize again by the end of the year. The Sri Lankan economy is expected to be operating again from 2024.