COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a new central bank chief on Friday, despite the country's continued economic turmoil, according to an official announcement.

Following the resignation of Ajith Nivard Cabraal earlier this week, Nandalal Weerasinghe was named governor of Sri Lanka's central bank, as per reports. Weerasinghe had considerable experience in the financial sector, according to the President's Media Division, and served in many positions at the International Monetary Fund and Sri Lanka's central bank.

On Thursday evening, the President handed over the appointment letter, and Weerasinghe began his duties on Friday morning.

Sri Lanka has recently experienced economic instability due to a significant scarcity of foreign currency, which has prevented the government from paying for basic imports such as fuel.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), the island nation's major opposition party, requested on Friday that the government tackle the ongoing economic crisis or face a no-confidence motion.

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