Colombo: The entire Sri Lankan cabinet has resigned from their posts, aside from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, as anti-government protesters defy curfews in the country’s worsening economic crisis.
The news first came during a late-night meeting yesterday, Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told reporters. Mr Gunawardena informed that the President and the Prime Minister will take appropriate action on the cabinet’s offer to resign. Government coalition parties are demanding that a caretaker cabinet be appointed.
Also read: Pak Parliament dissolved; Imran Khan de-notified, to continue till new ‘caretaker PM’ takes charge
President Rajapaksa had declared a nationwide state of emergency late on Friday, in the face of growing public unrest. Previous day, the Sri Lankan authorities blocked access for nearly 15 hours to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp and other social media platforms that were used to organise protests. The nationwide blackout ended at 6am today.
The island nation in South Asia is facing severe shortages of food, fuel and other essentials, along with record inflation and crippling power cuts, in its most painful downturn since independence from Britain in 1948.
Post Your Comments