Ranil Wickremesinghe announced his resignation as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on Saturday Economic crisis spirals in island nation, After announcing his resignation, Ranil Wickremesinghe released an audio in Sinhalese language in which he said that he was ready to resign with certain conditions.
In an audio message on Twitter, Ranil Wickremesinghe said: “A government in the country is necessary for the visit of the head of the World Food Program and decisive discussions with the International Monetary Fund.”
He said that it would be wrong to lead the country without the administration of the government.
Hours after Wickremesinghe’s resignation, his office announced that he was ready to resign to make way for a new unity government.
After the meeting of the party leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe made a special announcement and mentioned, “I proposed the idea to the President that an all-party government should be formed. Today the country has problems like lack of fuel and food.”
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Due to this, the head of the World Food Program will visit the country. There are several decisive discussions to be held with the International Monetary Fund. Therefore, a separate government should be formed immediately after the resignation of this government. Ranil Wickremesinghe attended.
“In such a situation it would be wrong to lead the country without the administration of the government. Therefore, I repeat that when this government resigns, a new government should be formed,” he said.
Read also| Sri Lanka’s economy ‘completely collapsed’: Wickremesinghe
PM condemns attack on journalists
Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed concern over the attack on journalists covering the ongoing protests.
According to local reports, journalists were attacked by Ranil Wickremesinghe’s security forces. According to reports, first cameraman Varuna Sampath and correspondents Sarsi Peiris and UD Sindhujan were attacked by security officials outside the PM’s private residence.
“The Prime Minister expressed his sincere regret over the attack on journalists covering the ongoing protests by security personnel. Media freedom is paramount to democracy in Sri Lanka,” the PMO said in a statement.
“The prime minister urges both the security forces and the protesters to exercise restraint to prevent any violence and to ensure the safety of the public,” the statement said.
Earlier in the day, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence when a crowd was gathered by protesters. Angry protesters rioted inside Sri Lanka’s president’s residence in Colombo on Saturday as the island nation faces its worst economic crisis in decades.
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