Censure vote vs. Sri Lankan leader fails as crisis simmers

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s governing party has defeated a move in Parliament to urgently debate a motion that would censure President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the nation’s worst economic crisis. The prime minister said Sri Lanka only has enough gasoline for one day. It’s unclear when the motion will be taken up again. It would not legally require Rajapaksa to quit, but his refusal to do so has already roiled Sri Lanka. The country is on the brink of bankruptcy while it negotiates an economic lifeline with other countries and institutions to be able to import basic supplies, medicines and fuel. The new prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, said Monday that the country’s treasury needs $75 billion but is struggling to find even $1 billion.