Colombo: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has officially informed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that he will resign on July 13, as previously announced, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday. A PTI report said Rajapaksa said he would resign on Wednesday after protesters stormed his official residence on Saturday and called on him to step down over the country’s handling of the dire economic crisis.
Days after protesters stormed the homes of Sri Lankan leaders over the country’s poor handling of the economic crisis, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also said he was ready to resign and make way for an all-party government as protesters demolished and set up his private residence. It’s on fire, according to his office. “President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has officially informed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that he will resign as previously announced,” a statement from the PM’s office said.
Earlier on Saturday, President Rajapaksa informed Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abhaywardene from an undisclosed location that he would step down on Wednesday.
Opposition parties will resume talks today to form an all-party interim government
Sri Lanka’s opposition parties will resume talks on Monday to form an all-party interim government after the president and prime minister offered to resign as thousands of angry protesters stormed the homes of leaders over the country’s worst economic crisis. ,
According to reports, the appointment of a new president and formation of a new government will be discussed in the meeting after Rajapaksa leaves the presidency.
Read also: India heightens border guard with island nation, deploys hovercraft and patrol boats
Under the Constitution of Sri Lanka, if both the President and the Prime Minister resign, the Speaker of the Parliament will serve as the Acting President for a maximum period of 30 days. Meanwhile, Parliament will elect a new Speaker from amongst its members within 30 days, who will hold office for the remaining two years of the current term.
The cash-strapped island nation was in turmoil on Saturday when protesters ransacked Rajapaksa’s official residence in Colombo. Protesters were seen splashing around in the swimming pool of Rashtrapati Bhavan in bedrooms.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is in the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials.
Thousands have taken to the streets in recent months calling on the country’s leaders to resign over allegations of economic mismanagement. Schools have been suspended and fuel has been restricted to essential services. Due to lack of fuel, patients are unable to visit hospitals and food prices are rising.
The frequency of trains has decreased, forcing passengers to sit in coaches and even precariously sit on top of them when they go to work. In several major cities, including Colombo, hundreds of people are forced to stand in line for hours to buy fuel, sometimes clashing with police and the military while waiting.
With an acute foreign exchange crisis that resulted in foreign debt defaults, Sri Lanka announced in April that it was suspending foreign debt repayments of about USD 7 billion for this year out of around USD 25 billion by 2026. . The total external debt of Sri Lanka is 51 billion USD.
Sri Lanka’s military chief refutes claims of soldiers heading to Galle Face
Amid the ongoing protests over the economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Shavendra Silva on Monday denied social media reports of military personnel marching towards the Galle Face protest site.
“There is no such attempt to attack or harass Argala land, as is now being spread on social media,” a Defense Ministry spokesperson quoted Chief of Defense Staff General Shavendra Silva as saying.
In another official statement, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseca denied rumors of a military operation to capture the Argalaya conflict ground at this time, “Don’t panic, continue your struggle peacefully and non-violently.”
India increased vigil along the border with Sri Lanka
The Indian Coast Guard has deployed its hovercraft, aircraft and patrol boats to enhance vigil along the maritime border with the island nation to prevent a possible influx of refugees or anti-India elements from there.
Government officials told ANI that with the deployment of Coast Guard personnel and assets, surveillance has been increased from Tamil Nadu coast to parts of Kerala coast.
#watch Indian Coast Guard hovercraft operating from Mandapam base near Rameswaram. The Indian Coast Guard is on high alert along the maritime border with Sri Lanka to check the influx of illegal migrants from there due to the ongoing political and economic crisis. pic.twitter.com/j3cHzTLovZ— ANI (@ANI) 11 July 2022
Surveillance activities were intensified soon after a new wave of political crisis erupted in the island nation, where people have stormed the presidential palace and the leadership is reported to have fled the capital city, Colombo. Along with the central agencies, Tamil Nadu Coastal Police is also on high alert.
With PTI/ANI input)