Sri Lanka’s political turmoil sows worries for recovery

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A day after Sri Lanka's president fled, Mohamed Ishad waited outside an immigration office near the capital, clutching a file of documents that he hopes will get his passport renewed so he can leave, too.

With the nation in the throes of its worst economic crisis, Ishad has no job, relies on relatives for financial help and sells vegetables to feed his wife and three children. He wants to go to Japan and find work there so he can send money back home.

Ishad is devastated to leave his family behind, but feels there is no choice — and no opportunity — in his country. "Living in Sri Lanka right now is not good — if you want a good life, you need to leave," he said. Not only has the economy collapsed, but "there's hardly a government functioning right now."

Bankruptcy has forced the island nation's government to a near standstill. Its once-beloved and now reviled former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to Singapore before resigning last week. The acting president and prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, is seen as his proxy and opposed by angry crowds.

Parliament is expected to elect a new president Wednesday, paving the way for a fresh government, but it is unclear if that's enough to fix a shattered economy and placate a furious nation of 22 million that has grown disillusioned with politicians of all stripes.

The political ruckus has deepened worries that solutions to the crisis, including a crucial assistance from the International Monetary Fund, may be delayed.

"Right now, the eye is off the ball," said Dayan Jayatilleka, a former diplomat and political analyst. "It's like in the middle of a serious surgery, everybody from the top surgeon to the anesthesiologist, ran out of the operation room to start a revolution — but they need to come back and finish the surgery before the patient is dead."

The IMF is monitoring the situation closely, but any bailout package will be contingent on Sri Lanka's debt-restructuring strategy and political stability. "People are probably thinking, who do we talk to? Don't you guys care about the economy? Will the real president please stand up?" Jayatilleka said.