Uditha Jayasinghe, Alasdair Pala

COLOMBO, (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s prime minister will form a unity government starting Friday. However, protestors demanding that the President for his country’s economic disaster be resigned have not been satisfied with his selection.

Ranil Wickremesinghe, a veteran politician from the opposition was appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the nation’s prime Minister late Thursday night after violent clashes which left over 300 people injured and 9 dead.

Mahinda Rajapaksa’s older brother was elected president. He resigned as prime minister Monday after violence escalated and now is hiding at a military base.

Chamalage Shivakumar was one of many who have set up camp at protest sites in Colombo.

We will continue this fight until the people are relieved, regardless of who they choose to appoint prime minister.

Wickremesinghe is currently the only lawmaker in parliament from the United National Party. This means that he will need to depend on the other parties to form the government. The Rajapaksas have about 100 out of the 225 parliament seats. Opposition has 58. Rest are independent.

Protesters claimed Wickremesinghe’s appointment will not ease anger at the president who, they claim is ultimately responsible the country’s worst economic crisis since 1948 when it was independent.

The pandemic, rising oil price and populist tax cuts of the Gotabaya siblings have made Sri Lanka a difficult country to exchange foreign currency. Thousands took to the streets in protest, despite the fact that the situation had been peaceful up until now.