Mahinda will continue to meet Gotabaya as PM.
Mahinda will continue to meet Gotabaya as PM.
All cabinet ministers in Sri Lanka resigned late on Sunday, amid fierce protests from citizens asking the Rajapaksa administration to leave for “failing” in its crisis response.
He submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who remains in office and is due to meet President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday morning, Leader of the House Dinesh Gunavardhan announced.
This paves the way for President Gotabaya to form a new cabinet amid demands from coalition partners for a “caretaker government”.
Cabinet members who decided to resign included three members of the ruling clan – Irrigation Minister Chamal Rajapakse and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa, who became the first to resign in heated discussions between Prime Minister Mahinda and cabinet members. were involved, informed. Sources said.
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s opposition parties defying the government-imposed curfew, Many student groups and citizens took to the streets On Sunday, as there is public outcry over the response of the Rajapaksa administration to the economic crisis.
While the country awaits a significant economic recovery plan from the government, President Rajapaksa is facing mounting pressure, including from his coalition partners. They are demanding a new caretaker government immediately, threatening to leave otherwise.
In the afternoon, hundreds of university students in Colombo gathered near Nugegoda and marched raising anti-government slogans. Despite the heavy police force, they continued with the rally.
Local media reports said a similar protest was held by students of Peradeniya University in central Kandy district, when police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Citizens continued to hold pocket dharnas near their homes at different places.
Authorities blocked access to major social media sites and messaging apps in the early hours of Sunday, reportedly viewing them as platforms for anti-government mobilization, but were later rescinded.
Separately, Sri Lanka’s main opposition party Samagi Jana Balvegaya (SJB) called for a protest march at Colombo’s Independence Square on Sunday morning after police and soldiers stopped them from marching to the venue.
Allies of the SJB and other prominent members of the opposition, who were also present, said that the purpose of the emergency and curfew was to “pacify the protest of the people”.
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Over the past week, as the country’s economic crisis worsened, civil protests have intensified across Sri Lanka. Families and businesses are struggling amid persistent shortages of food supplies and fuel, rising prices of essential commodities and prolonged power cuts.
‘autocratic measure’
Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa accused the government of resorting to “authoritarianism”, “autocratic measures” and “dictatorship” to suppress the voice of the people. “Today is one of the darkest days in Sri Lanka’s democratic political life,” he told The Hindu. “The regime has used excessive power to subdue and obstruct the democratic rights of the people of the country.”
Mr Premadasa said the party on Sunday emerged as an “alternative government” representing the concerns of the people. Amid speculation that a “national government” would be formed, he rejected any “political deal” that could bring his party to power. “We will come to power only by the mandate,” he said.
Earlier, police arrested government critic Anurudda Bandara for running a Facebook page called ‘Gota Go Home’. He was released on bail. The social media ban was lifted in the afternoon following widespread criticism from senior lawyer groups, including the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission and opposition parties for “suppressing free expression” of the government.