By Usman Khan

Sri Lanka’s new President had sought the top job of presidency for long. Now he has to find methods to evade the doom of his precursor. As he fends off protesters who’re angry about persistent food and fuel shortages. The veteran politician was sworn in last week after months of escalated protests, forcing former leader to escape to Singapore and quit.

The incumbent prime minster, 73, is should now concentrate on settling a bailout program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). And also to get dollars from friendly nations to bring an end shortages of vital items that have hindered economic actions and pushed price rises near to 70%.

He’s also looking for to quash well-organized street demonstrations. The new president has placed Sri Lanka under emergency rule which allows security forces to detain and capture the people. Early on Friday, just a day after he was sworn in, prime minster sent in the military and police to clear a key demonstration site, leading to stressed scenes.

The PM said last week to the media that he was not an ally of former president and his family, who ruined the nation through their economic debacle. They are extensively considered as responsible for a series of slipups that led to the country’s economic collapse.

Yet, the PM has benefited from their glitches. He progressed from being a lawmaker to prime minister and then acting president in less than three months on the request of former president when protests escalated which compelled him and his brother, former premier to step down.

The incumbent Prime minster eventually won the presidency with the support of former’s ruling party in parliament after two unsuccessful electoral efforts at the top job in a career that has spanned five decades.

The prime minster had pledged to form an all-party government. However so far, he has amassed his 18-member cabinet with lawmakers from the SLPP and former president allies. Only two lawmakers from the opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya party are in the government.

The incumbent PM has kept the finance and defense portfolios, giving him an extra edge to talk with the IMF. It also permits him to keep an eye on the powerful military as it enforces emergency rule.

Many in the opposition have called for early general elections, saying the government doesn’t reflect the will of the people. Opposition leader who met with prime minster was a contender for the prime minister’s job, said he would rather see parliament committees supported than cabinet posts dished out to “political opportunists.”

The new prime minster is keeping an eye on the protesters and pledging harsh action against those who attack the residences and offices of the prime minister and president in July. Aside from emergency rule, he has called on the army to uphold public order. Security forces, acting on a court’s instruction, have cleared a major oceanfront demonstration site close to the presidential secretariat.

The new government has offered an alternative protest site, but it remains to be seen whether the demonstrators will take this up or not. It’s also not instantly clear if news of some easing up of food and fuel supplies will influence the impetus of the street protests. Still, leaders of the protest movement have vowed not to back down from their demand for prime minister’s resignation.

The new president has said the island nation is near to a settlement talks with the IMF for a bailout program and made progress in “discussions for assistance” with foreign countries. As finance minister he will lead those talks together with the central bank. The IMF Managing Director recently disclose that talks with Sri Lanka could proceed “quite quickly” as soon as a new government is in place.

Prime minister’s administration will have to implement further tough economic measures to raise more revenue and trim expenditure, to put the country’s finances on a more maintainable footing. This will inevitably make the new government fairly unpopular.

Both the IMF and the new prime minster will have to look at keeping the social safety net in place given the acute shortages of essential items in the country. “Just raising taxes is senseless. What they have to focus on is that poverty lines don’t further worsen.

The new PM has promised to follow the planned constitutional amendments to trim the powers of the presidency. This is a key demand from demonstrators and lawmakers who say the sweeping powers of the executive led to mistakes in the Rajapaksa administration.

For now, the incumbent prime minster is using the powers of his position to quickly appoint a new government and rein in the demonstrations to safeguard political constancy and ease the path for talks with the IMF. However, prime minster is pro-reform and prioritizes the supremacy of parliament, proposing he will push on with limiting the executive presidency eventually.

The PM will be able to build more reliability with the public if he brings the suggestions for change to the legislature rapidly. Seeing the 22nd amendment already is on the table. The tasks of New Sri Lankan President are manifold. He may use reforms also to show the protesters and opposition that under his watch something will move and progress.