Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned in the face of ongoing economic turmoil. According to the country’s official sources, he has resigned due to the ongoing violence in the island nation.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .On Monday, a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the prime minister had sent his resignation letter to the president. Qatar-based Al-Jazeera reported the news.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the younger brother of the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, just hours before the prime minister submitted his resignation, supporters of his party attacked anti-government protesters in Colombo. After that the police also clashed with these supporters. Police used tear gas and water cannons to control the situation and repel them. At least 20 people were injured in the incident. A nationwide curfew has been imposed after the incident.
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s spokesman Rohan Velivita says the country, which gained independence from British rule in 1947, submitted its resignation to eight-year-old Mahinda Rajapaksa to deal with the worst economic crisis in history. He resigned at the request of the president to pave the way for a “new consensus government” to deal with the economic crisis.
Earlier on Saturday, Indian media outlet NDTV quoted the Sri Lankan media in Colombo as saying that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had requested the resignation of the Prime Minister at a special cabinet meeting. Mahinda Rajapaksa responded positively to the President’s request and agreed to resign. He announced his resignation in a special statement on Monday.
The report further said that the country’s cabinet had been informed that Mahinda Rajapaksa had sought to resign as prime minister due to his failure to address the country’s ongoing economic crisis. The prime minister later said that if his resignation was the only solution to the country’s ongoing economic crisis, he would do so.
Meanwhile, his resignation led to the dissolution of the cabinet. The cabinet reshuffle is expected to take place next week.
Another report on the Colombo page said that on Saturday, Sri Lankan opposition leader John Balavegaire (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa was asked by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to become prime minister. Later, Sajith Premadasa said that he would announce the final decision after discussing with the leaders and workers of his party.
Incidentally, the country is currently suffering from a severe food and electricity crisis. And the crisis is forcing the country to seek help from its neighbors. The country is facing a foreign exchange deficit due to the lack of tourists during the Corona epidemic, which is accelerating the economic downturn. As a result, the country is not able to buy enough fuel and gas. Besides, the citizens are being deprived of basic facilities. The economic crisis has sparked widespread protests demanding the resignation of the country’s prime minister and president.
