Sri Lankan opposition leader Jan Balavegaire (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa has been asked by Prime Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa to become the new prime minister. The president made the request over the telephone to the Leader of the Opposition on Saturday morning. Sajith Premadasa said that he will announce the final decision after discussing with the leaders and workers of his party.
A report in the Sri Lankan media Colombo Page on Saturday said the president had telephoned the opposition leader and asked him to step down as prime minister in the face of the country’s current crisis. In response, the Leader of the Opposition told the President that a final decision would be taken after a meeting with the Opposition MPs.
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Earlier, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said he had agreed to resign in the face of ongoing protests. It is learned that he took this decision at the request of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at a special cabinet meeting.
At the meeting held at the Presidential Palace, younger brother President Gotabaya Rajapaksa requested Mahinda Rajapaksa to step down as Prime Minister. Mahinda Rajapakse responded positively to his request. As a result of his resignation, the cabinet will be dissolved. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to announce his resignation in a special statement on Monday. If he announces his resignation, the cabinet will be reshuffled within a week.
The president called on the opposition leader to pass a resolution signed by a majority in parliament. At the same time, he said, he should be informed if there is a need for holding parliamentary elections.
Earlier, the SJB had said it would support the Sri Lankan Bar Association’s proposal to end the crisis on the condition that it remove the acting president.
Regarding the resignation of the Prime Minister, it was said in the Sri Lankan cabinet meeting that Mahinda Rajapaksa had agreed to resign due to the failure of the Prime Minister to address the ongoing economic crisis in the country. In this regard, Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that if the only solution to the ongoing crisis is the resignation of the Prime Minister, then he agrees.
