Colombo: Sri LankaPrime Minister Mahinda in trouble RajapaksaHe has come under new pressure from his younger brother and the man who has repeatedly rejected to resign at a special cabinet meeting held before the imposition of a state of emergency by the President. Gotabaya Rajapakse,
The special cabinet meeting was held on Friday as protests erupted in the country over the government’s inability to deal with the economic slowdown that has caused unprecedented hardship to the public.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency from midnight Friday, the second time in more than a month.
“There was opinion during the cabinet, some even suggested that the Prime Minister should resign. The President (Gotabaya Rajapaksa) wanted to see an end to the political crisis even after the resignation of the Prime Minister.
Supporters of the 76-year-old prime minister had pushed for him to remain as public demand was high for the resignation of his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The 72-year-old president has for weeks wanted the prime minister to resign to form an all-party interim government.
Although Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa told a cabinet meeting that he would simply resign if the successor could solve the current economic crisis, he did not explicitly say that he would resign, according to the source.
The Mirror newspaper reported that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa listened to the president and said that if a new government could solve the economic crisis and bring an immediate solution, he would give his blessings to the new government.
The report said that although there has been no official reaction on whether Mahinda Rajapaksa will resign or not.
But Mahinda Rajapaksa has previously insisted that he would be the head if there was an interim government.
A special meeting of the cabinet took place when the student workers kept Parliament siege since Thursday night
There was also a one-day crippling strike of all services.
The students blocked the main entrance of the campus demanding the resignation of the government for its inability to handle the ongoing economic crisis marked by shortage of essential commodities.
In another turn of events, the new Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ranjit Siambalapatia, who was elected on Thursday, again tendered his resignation saying that he had taken a conscientious decision.
Siambalapatiya was elected with the support of the government. He resigned after his political party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, decided to quit the government.
Sri Lanka has been going through a period of unprecedented economic turmoil since independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is partly due to a lack of foreign exchange, which means the country cannot pay for imports of staple foods and fuels. Leading to sharp shortages and very high prices.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Sri Lanka since April 9, as the government ran out of money for vital imports; The prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed and there is a severe shortage in the supply of fuel, medicines and electricity.
Despite mounting pressure, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his older brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa have refused to step down.
On Thursday, he won a crucial election in parliament when his candidate won the race for the vice president’s post.
The special cabinet meeting was held on Friday as protests erupted in the country over the government’s inability to deal with the economic slowdown that has caused unprecedented hardship to the public.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency from midnight Friday, the second time in more than a month.
“There was opinion during the cabinet, some even suggested that the Prime Minister should resign. The President (Gotabaya Rajapaksa) wanted to see an end to the political crisis even after the resignation of the Prime Minister.
Supporters of the 76-year-old prime minister had pushed for him to remain as public demand was high for the resignation of his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The 72-year-old president has for weeks wanted the prime minister to resign to form an all-party interim government.
Although Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa told a cabinet meeting that he would simply resign if the successor could solve the current economic crisis, he did not explicitly say that he would resign, according to the source.
The Mirror newspaper reported that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa listened to the president and said that if a new government could solve the economic crisis and bring an immediate solution, he would give his blessings to the new government.
The report said that although there has been no official reaction on whether Mahinda Rajapaksa will resign or not.
But Mahinda Rajapaksa has previously insisted that he would be the head if there was an interim government.
A special meeting of the cabinet took place when the student workers kept Parliament siege since Thursday night
There was also a one-day crippling strike of all services.
The students blocked the main entrance of the campus demanding the resignation of the government for its inability to handle the ongoing economic crisis marked by shortage of essential commodities.
In another turn of events, the new Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ranjit Siambalapatia, who was elected on Thursday, again tendered his resignation saying that he had taken a conscientious decision.
Siambalapatiya was elected with the support of the government. He resigned after his political party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, decided to quit the government.
Sri Lanka has been going through a period of unprecedented economic turmoil since independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is partly due to a lack of foreign exchange, which means the country cannot pay for imports of staple foods and fuels. Leading to sharp shortages and very high prices.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Sri Lanka since April 9, as the government ran out of money for vital imports; The prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed and there is a severe shortage in the supply of fuel, medicines and electricity.
Despite mounting pressure, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his older brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa have refused to step down.
On Thursday, he won a crucial election in parliament when his candidate won the race for the vice president’s post.