Sri Lanka: president likely to appoint Dinesh Gunawradena as new PM

Sri Lankan new president Ranil Wickremesinghe is set to appoint his new cabinet on Friday. Meanwhile, Reuters on Thursday report that former public administration minister Dinesh Gunawardena will be appointed prime minister in the unity government. Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who supported a rival candidate in Wednesday's vote, said he had met with Wickremesinghe to discuss how to protect the country from further "misery and disaster"."We as an opposition will provide our constructive support for efforts to alleviate human suffering," Premadasa tweeted Thursday.A foreign exchange crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and exacerbated by mismanagement has left Sri Lanka suffering lengthy power blackouts and record-high inflation. The country's 22 million people have also endured months of food, fuel and medicine shortages.Public anger boiled over when tens of thousands of protesters stormed the home of then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, forcing him to step down. Wickremesinghe has been tainted in the eyes of many Sri Lankans by his association with Rajapaksa, whose political party backed the new president's ascent.