“In order to ensure a peaceful transition, the President has stated that he will resign on July 13,” Parliament Speaker Mahinda Abeywardana said in a televised address on Saturday. Rajapaksa had fled the presidential palace in the capital, Colombo, shortly before hundreds of protesters stormed the building.
The demonstrators had not been mollified by an announcement of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s resignation and had pressed for the resignation of the president. Late in the evening they set fire to Premier Wickremesinghe’s residence, police said. However, he was not in the building.
Worst crisis in decades
The prime minister had previously told the speaker of parliament that he was ready to step down in favor of forming an all-party government. Wickremesinghe has only been in office since May, when his predecessor also resigned in the wake of the unrest.
The island state south of India with its approximately 22 million inhabitants is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. The anger of the demonstrators is directed, among other things, against a shortage of fuel that has existed for months, but also of medicine and food. One reason for this is that income from tourism, which is important for Sri Lanka, has collapsed in the wake of the corona pandemic. The heavily indebted country lacks the money to import important goods.
The government has asked the International Monetary Fund and several countries, such as India, China and Russia, for help. The UN Emergency Relief Office (OCHA) warned in June that the severe economic crisis could exacerbate a looming hunger crisis in Sri Lanka. The country had previously been on a good development path for ten years and did not need UN humanitarian aid.
On Friday, the government promised to improve fuel supplies. She also imposed an indefinite curfew. However, under pressure from civil rights groups, lawyers and Buddhist monks who support the demonstrations, she withdrew the measure. Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena called a meeting with party leaders to discuss the situation.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president’s brother, resigned in May amid months of unrest. Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as his successor. At that time, according to the police, at least nine people were killed and more than 250 injured in protests. In June, Basil Rajapaksa, another of the president’s brothers, resigned as finance minister.
Source: Nachrichten
