Long gas queues in Colombo lead to frayed tempers

Long lines continued outside gas stations in Colombo on Sunday amid Sri Lanka's ongoing political upheaval.

Frequent arguments broke out amongst as those waiting in the serpentine queues as shortages hit the public hard. Meanwhile, lawmakers began choosing a new leader after the president fled abroad before resigning after mass protests over the country's economic collapse.

On Friday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as interim president until Parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose term ends in 2024. Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana promised a swift and transparent political process that should be done within a week.

The new president could appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by Parliament. Sri Lanka has run short of money to pay for imports of basic necessities such as food, fertilizer and fuel, to the despair of its 22 million people. Its rapid economic decline has been all the more shocking because, before this crisis, the economy had been expanding, with a growing, comfortable middle class.