Colombo, Sri Lanka – The Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament says President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has accepted his resignation as of Wednesday.
Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said on Saturday in a televised statement that she informed Rajapaksa of a decision taken at a meeting of the party’s parliamentary leaders asking her to leave office, and she agreed.
Rajapaksa will remain as president until Wednesday to ensure a smooth transfer of power, Abeywardena added.
In the early hours of Saturday, protesters stormed the private residence of the Sri Lankan prime minister and set it on fire, hours after he said he would resign when a new government was formed, on the biggest day of demonstrations that also saw crowds storming. the president’s house and office.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said on Saturday evening protesters stormed his home in Colombo. It is not immediately clear if he was inside at the time of the attack. A government spokesman, Mohan Samaranayake, said he had no information about his movements.
Wickremesinghe said in a voice statement that he will resign when all parties have agreed on a new government.
“Today in this country we have a fuel crisis, a food shortage, we have the head of the World Food Program coming here and we have several issues to deal with the IMF. So if this government leaves , there should be another government “. He said.
A man throws tear gas after police fired him to disperse protesters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Sri Lankan protesters demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa forced their entry into his official residence on Saturday. Amitha Thennakoon / AP
His decision came after the largest protest to date has ravaged Sri Lanka, when tens of thousands of people broke down barricades and entered the Rajapaksa residence and the nearby office to launch their anger against a leader they hold responsible for the country’s worst crisis.
The images showed people in jubilant humor taking a dip in the pool in the residence’s garden. Some lay down on the beds, others made tea and drank, and made “statements” from the conference room that Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe were to leave immediately.
Wickremesinghe said he suggested to the president that he have a government of all parties, but said nothing about the whereabouts of Rajapaksa. Opposition parties in Parliament are currently discussing the formation of a new government.
Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe prime minister in May in hopes that the career politician would use his diplomacy and contacts to revive a collapsed economy. But people’s patience was exhausted as the shortage of fuel, medicine and cooking gas only increased and oil reserves dried up.
Many protesters accuse Wickremesinghe of trying to save Rajapaksa when he was pressured to resign and all other members of his powerful political dynasty left the cabinet.
A man grabs a tear gas canister after throwing it after police shot him to disperse protesters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Saturday, July 9, 2022. The Sri Lankan prime minister agreed to resign on Saturday after the party leaders in Parliament demanded him and the assaulted president resigned the day protesters stormed the president’s residence and office furious over a worsening economic crisis. Amitha Thennakoon / AP
Privately owned Sirasa Television reported that at least six of its staff members, including four journalists, were hospitalized after being beaten by police while covering the protest near Wickremesinghe’s home.
The Medical Council of Sri Lanka, the country’s top professional body, warned that the country’s hospitals were running with minimal resources and would not be able to cope with the massive casualties from the riots.
The association said the president, prime minister and government would be responsible if people died or were maimed. He urged the leaders to listen to the cry of the people, to resign and to hand over the reins to a government of all parties.
Political party leaders in Parliament later met and decided to demand the resignation of Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe, opposition lawmaker Rauff Hakeem said on Twitter. He said a consensus has been reached that the Speaker of Parliament should assume the temporary presidency and work in an interim government.
Sri Lanka’s economy is in a state of collapse, depending on the help of India and other countries as its leaders try to negotiate a bailout with the International Monetary Fund. The economic crisis has caused a severe shortage of essential items, leaving people struggling to buy food, fuel and other basic necessities.
The unrest has sparked months of protests, which have nearly dismantled the Rajapaksa political dynasty that has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades.
The president’s older brother resigned as prime minister in May after violent protests saw him seek security at a naval base. Much of the public anger has been directed at the Rajapaksa family, and protesters blame them for dragging Sri Lanka into chaos with mismanagement and allegations of corruption.
In the president’s office, security personnel tried to stop protesters who pushed the fences to run across the lawn and inside the colonial-era building.
At least 34 people, including two policemen, were injured in fights as protesters tried to enter the residence. Two of the injured are in critical condition, while others suffered minor injuries, said a Colombo National Hospital official who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to speak to the media.
Thousands of protesters entered the capital from the suburbs after police lifted the curfew overnight. With the scarce fuel supply, many boarded buses and trains to come to the city to protest, while others made their way by bicycle and on foot.
Religious and protest leaders called on Rajapaksa to resign, saying he has lost the popular mandate.
“His claim that it was voted by the Sinhalese Buddhists is not valid now,” Ven said. Omalpe Sobitha, a prominent Buddhist leader. He urged Parliament to meet immediately to select an interim president, but said Wickremesinghe did not enjoy popular support.
Last month, Wickremesinghe said the country’s economy has collapsed. He said negotiations with the IMF have been complex because Sri Lanka was now a bankrupt state.
In April, Sri Lanka announced that it was suspending the repayment of foreign loans due to currency shortages. Its total foreign debt amounts to $ 51 billion, of which it will have to pay 28 billion by the end of 2027.
Police had imposed a curfew on Colombo and several other major urban areas Friday night, but withdrew it Saturday morning amid objections from lawyers and opposition politicians who described it as illegal. .
U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung on Friday called on people to protest peacefully and called on the army and police to “grant peaceful protesters space and security to do so.” .
“Chaos and force will not fix the economy or bring the political stability that Sri Lankans need right now,” Chung said in a tweet.