Mon 09 May 2022:
As widespread protests escalate, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa announced his resignation on Monday, paving the way for a new cabinet in the crisis-torn country.
This comes days after President Gotbaya Rajapaksa demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation at a special meeting on Friday as a solution to the country’s ongoing political crisis, according to Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror.
President Rajapaksa is anticipated to call all political parties in Parliament to create an all-party Cabinet now that the Prime Minister has resigned.
Earlier, the opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) confirmed that its leader Sajith Premadasa will not accept the PM’s post in an interim government.
On Monday morning protesters held a demonstration opposite the Temple Trees, the official residence of the prime minister, urging Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa not to resign.
Following their meeting with the prime minister, they clashed with anti-government protesters near the Temple Trees. At least 16 people who sustained injuries have been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital.
The resignation came shortly after he put out a tweet urging the general public to exercise restraint.
“While emotions are running high in #lka, I urge our general public to exercise restraint & remember that violence only begets violence. The economic crisis we’re in needs an economic solution which this administration is committed to resolving,” Mahinda said in a tweet.
Responding to Mahinda’s tweet, former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara said, “The only violence was perpetrated by your ‘supporters’ – goons and thugs who came to your office first before going on to assault the peaceful protestors.”
Sri Lanka has been in an economic crisis for weeks as a result of a foreign exchange shortage, which has resulted in a shortage of vital goods such as fuel, food, and medications.
For days, protesters have been calling on the administration and politicians to find immediate solutions.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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