Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns as protests rage

Story by  ATV | Posted by  sabir hussain • 1 Years ago
Mahinda Rajapaksha resigned a Sri Lankan Prime Minister on Monday. (File photo)
Mahinda Rajapaksha resigned a Sri Lankan Prime Minister on Monday. (File photo)

 

Colombo

Amid raging nationwide protests, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday which is likely to pave the way for a new cabinet.

On Friday, President Gotbaya Rajapaksa in a special meeting had requested the Prime Minister to step down as a solution to the ongoing political crisis in the country, Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror reported.

Following the PM’s resignation, President Rajapaksa is expected to invite all the political parties in Parliament to form an all-party Cabinet.

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, government supporters held a demonstration opposite the Temple Trees, the official residence of the Prime Minister, urging 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 Rajapaksha 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 is battling a severe economic crisis stemming from a foreign exchange shortage which has led to a scarcity in essential supplies such as fuel, food and medicines.

For weeks, protests have been demanding that the government find urgent solutions to the crisis.