Ministers resign en masse; Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will not resign
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will not resign. The decision was taken at an emergency cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, all the ministers resigned. The ministers handed over a letter to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Prime Minister will hold talks with the President.
Sri Lanka is in the throes of a political crisis. Yesterday, there were rumors that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had resigned. Sri Lankan media has reported that Prime Minister Rajapaksa has resigned from the presidency. However, the PM’s office denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning the PM’s resignation have been made more than once.
Sri Lanka is sinking into a political crisis amid a severe economic crisis. The country is currently going through the worst recession it has faced since independence. For weeks people have been facing severe shortages of food, essentials and fuel. The sharp fall in foreign exchange reserves over the past two years has plunged Sri Lanka into distress. With the decline in foreign exchange, imports of essential commodities and repayment of foreign debt have become a concern. Food and fuel prices have risen sharply across the country. Later a great agitation broke out in the country.
Ban on Facebook and WhatsApp in Sri Lanka, followed by action curfew. The nationwide curfew announced as part of the crackdown on popular protests continues. The move comes as protests intensify in the capital, Colombo. Strict restrictions are in place in the country, which is reeling under the financial crisis. The military can arrest and detain any suspect.
President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who declared a state of emergency, said in a statement that the move was aimed at maintaining law and order and the supply of supplies. Widespread protests and clashes erupted yesterday in front of the president’s residence. Meanwhile, the IMF will begin discussions this week on granting loans to alleviate Sri Lanka’s distress. Debt-ridden Sri Lanka is in no position to move forward without foreign aid.
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