To avert his moves to become Acting Prez

• Ranil should resign or Prez should remove him before his resignation

By Ajith Siriwardana  

Claiming that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was tactfully attempting to become the President going against the people’s demand, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday urged PM Wickremesinghe to resign before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa submits his resignation, without putting the country into further unrest by becoming the Acting President against people’s will.  

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake making a special statement said all sections of the people including religious leaders demanded the resignation of both the President and the Prime Minister and said any attempts by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to become the President would aggravate unrest in the country.  

He said Prime Minister Wickremesinghe should resign before President Rajapaksa submits his resignation and added that if he was not doing so, the President should remove him from the premiership as his final task.  
Mr. Dissanayake said if Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was functioning as the Prime Minister when President Rajapaksa resigned, the incumbent Prime Minister becomes the Acting President according to the Constitution and added that if the Premiership was vacant at the time of the President’s resignation, then the Speaker becomes the Acting President.  

“New President is expected to be elected through a vote in parliament on Wednesday (20). Everyone is keeping an eye on whether the new President would be elected in keeping with the people’s demand or go against their demand,” he said.  

He said some people were trying to allow Wickremesinghe to become the Acting President automatically, and said there are two things to prevent Wickremesinghe from becoming the President. One is that he should resign as the Prime Minister before the President’s resignation, or the President should remove him before his resignation.  
“We urge the President and the Prime Minister to resign without creating further unrest in the country. We have had enough chaos and unrest for the last few months. Every sector in the country is crippled now. It is the responsibility of the President and the Prime Minister to pay heed to the demand of the people and avert any more crisis,” he said.  

He alleged that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was conspiring to become the Acting President and then get elected as the new President in Parliament by commanding a majority after buying over some MPs.  
He said if Wickremesinghe resorted to such tactics and became the President for the rest of the term of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, he would have to face an even more unfortunate fate than President Rajapaksa.  
Mr. Dissanayake said if Prime Minister Wickremesinghe becomes the President at any cost, people should take to the street and expel him and added that the JVP, as a political force, will do everything possible to expel an illegitimate President who is against people’s mandate.