Sri Lanka's acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Monday that the country had almost completed bailout talks with international lenders.
斯里兰卡代理总统拉尼尔·维克勒马辛哈周一表示，该国与国际贷款机构的紧急财政援助谈判几乎已经完成。
"The acting president further explained that negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were nearing conclusion, and discussions for assistance with foreign countries were also progressing," Wickremesinghe's office said in a statement.
维克勒马辛哈办公室在一份声明中表示：“代理总统进一步解释说，与国际货币基金组织(IMF)的谈判已接近尾声，与外国援助的谈判也已取得进展。”
Late Sunday, Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency as Sri Lanka continues to face a deep economic crisis.
由于斯里兰卡继续面临严重的经济危机，维克勒马辛哈周日晚宣布斯里兰卡进入紧急状态。
The move aims to calm unrest ahead of a vote in parliament later this week to elect a new president.
此举是为在本周晚些时候议会投票选举新总统之前平息动荡不安的局面。
Sri Lanka is seeking a financial rescue plan from the IMF and other organizations.
斯里兰卡正在向国际货币基金组织等组织寻求金融救援计划。
But top officials say the country’s finances are so poor that even getting a bailout has been difficult.
但高级官员表示，该国的财政状况非常糟糕，甚至连获得紧急财政援助都很困难。
There has been no comment from the IMF on Wickremesinghe’s statement.
国际货币基金组织没有对维克勒马辛哈的声明发表评论。
The acting president said that aid was being provided to people and steps taken to ease shortages of fuel and cooking gas.
代理总统称，政府正在向民众提供援助，并采取措施缓解燃料和烹饪液化气的短缺。
However, he said “elements within society” were causing unrest.
然而，他表示，“社会内部因素”正在引发动乱。
He said disorder will not be permitted to harm the country’s progress.
他说，政府不会允许动乱损害该国的进展。
Wickremesinghe said that peaceful protesters who had real concerns would be heard by the government.
维克勒马辛哈说，政府将会听取真正关心问题的和平抗议者的意见。
He urged political parties to put aside their differences and form “an all-party government which would permit the country to recover from the economic crisis.”
他敦促各政党搁置分歧，组建“一个能够让该国从经济危机中复苏的跨党派政府”。
Sri Lanka's leaders have declared a state of emergency several times since April.
自4月以来，斯里兰卡领导人已数次宣布该国进入紧急状态。
That was when protests started against the government's reaction to the economic crisis and shortage of necessary goods.
从那时起，人们开始抗议政府对经济危机和必需品短缺问题的反应。
Earlier emergency declarations have permitted the military to arrest and detain people, search private property and end public protests.
早些时候的紧急状态声明允许军方逮捕和拘留民众，搜查私人财产，结束公众抗议。
Last week, hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters came out onto the streets of Colombo and occupied President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official home and office.
上周，数十万反政府抗议者走上科伦坡街头，占领了总统拉贾帕克萨的官邸和办公室。
He later fled to the Maldives Islands and then to Singapore.
后来，他逃到了马尔代夫群岛，然后又逃到了新加坡。
Parliament accepted Rajapaksa's resignation on Friday.
议会周五接受了拉贾帕克萨的辞呈。
It met a day later to begin the process of electing a new president.
一天后，召开会议，开始选举新总统。
A vote is expected Wednesday.
预计周三将进行投票。
The nation received a shipment of fuel providing some aid to deal with the severe shortages.
目前该国收到了一批燃料，为处理严重的短缺问题提供了一些援助。
Wickremesinghe is a six-time prime minister considered an ally of Rajapaksa.
维克勒马辛哈曾六次担任总理，被认为是拉贾帕克萨的盟友。
He is one of the top candidates to win the presidency full-time.
他是最有可能赢得总统大选的热门候选人之一。
But protesters also want him to resign.
但抗议者也希望他辞职。
The protesters accuse Rajapaksa and his powerful family of stealing from the government.
抗议者指控拉贾帕克萨及其强大的家族从政府窃取钱财。
They also say his poor leadership of the economy led to its collapse.
他们还说，他对经济的糟糕领导导致了经济的崩溃。
The family has denied the corruption charges, but Rajapaksa has admitted that some of his policies led to the crisis.
拉贾帕克萨家族否认腐败指控，但拉贾帕克萨承认，他的一些政策导致了这场危机。
I’m Dan Novak.
丹·诺瓦克报道。
Sri Lankan lawmakers elected Ranil Wickremesinghe, the unpopular prime minister and acting president, as the country's new leader Wednesday.
Members of the ruling party hope his government experience will help the country out of the economic and political crisis it is facing. But there is also a risk that the decision will lead to more unrest in the South Asian country.
For months, Sri Lankan protesters have demanded the ouster of the country's top two political leaders. Last week, demonstrators occupied homes, offices and government buildings.
The uprising forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and resign. The prime minister, Wickremesinghe, became acting president. On Monday, Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency giving him the power to restore public security and order.
The six-time prime minister received 134 votes in the 225-member parliament. But, given his unpopularity, only a few lawmakers had publicly said they would vote for Wickremesinghe.
Wednesday's vote means Wickremesinghe will finish the presidential term ending in 2024. He will be sworn in on Thursday.
"I need not tell you what state our country is in," Wickremesinghe told lawmakers after his victory was announced. "People are not expecting the old politics from us, they expect us to work together." The 73-year-old leader added, "Now that the election is over, we have to end this division."
After the vote, some supporters celebrated Wickremesinghe's win in the streets. But protesters gathered at the presidential home, calling "Ranil, go home." Visaka Jayawware, a protester, told the Associated Press, "We will keep fighting for the people of Sri Lanka. We have to ask for a general election."
Much of the protesters' anger was directed at Rajapaksa and his family who ruled the country for almost 20 years. But many also blamed Wickremesinghe for protecting Rajapaksa. Last week, a crowd occupied his office and set his home on fire.
Economists say the crisis in Sri Lanka comes from years of poor leadership and corruption. They also say it comes from other troubles, such as growing debt, the effects of the pandemic, and terror attacks that hurt the tourism industry. The country also has $51 billion in foreign debts that it cannot repay.
Before Wednesday's vote, Wickremesinghe said the economy had already collapsed by the time he joined the Rajapaksa government in May.
As prime minister, Wickremesinghe has been working with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and countries to look for help. He said Monday that negotiations with the IMF were nearing a conclusion, while talks on help from other countries had also progressed. He also said that the government has taken measures to solve shortages of fuel and cooking gas.
"People deserve fuel, transportation, we deserve anything citizens need," Kasumi Ranasinghe Arachchige, a 26-year-old protester, told Reuters. "Until we see no one in Sri Lanka is struggling, the protest continues."
I'm Caty Weaver.
Hai Do dapted this story for Learning English based on reporting from The Associated Press and Reuters. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
内容来自 VOA英语学习网：https://www.chinavoa.com/show-8832-243180-1.html
