Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was named acting president of Sri Lanka on Wednesday as its political and economic crisis deepened, is tantalisingly close to the pinnacle of power but may not get much time to enjoy it.
When he was made prime minister in May, it was the sixth time the opposition lawmaker – known domestically as an effective political operator – had held the post.
His appointment was welcomed by some at the time, because he was not from the ruling Rajapaksa dynasty that has become the reviled symbol of social chaos and did not belong to the dominant parliamentary party that forms the family’s power base.
That has not been enough to cushion him from growing anger among ordinary Sri Lankans, who have swarmed the streets of Colombo in recent days and stormed key government buildings, prompting President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee abroad.
It leaves Wickremesinghe nominally in charge but on an acting basis, as Gotabaya prevaricates over formally rescinding his role. Much depends on what Wickremesinghe does next.
His first step as acting president was to announce he would be declaring a nationwide state of emergency and a curfew in the west of the country where the commercial capital Colombo is located. Those orders have yet to be officially enacted.
Wickremesinghe had previously offered to resign as prime minister, and if he did the speaker would have become acting president until a new leader was elected on July 20. But he has yet to step aside, fuelling fury on the streets.