Sri Lankan President Ghotambaya Rajapaxa lost his parliamentary majority, while the new finance minister he appointed just yesterday resigned today and the opposition rejected his proposal to form a national unity.
The country of 22 million inhabitants suffers from shortages of basic goods (food, fuel, medicine …), power outages and record inflation, leaving nothing to be seen when or how it will overcome the difficulties.
President Rajapakha’s Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) coalition was previously the strongest party in parliament, but today at least 41 lawmakers announced their resignation.
At the same time, Ali Sambri announced his resignation today, who was appointed Minister of Finance by the President of Sri Lanka just yesterday, Monday.
“River of blood”
“While I am sorry for the problems I am creating, I believe that I am always acting in the best interests of the country,” Sabri said in a statement, calling for “new, precautionary and unconventional measures” to address the crisis. Sri Lanka.
One of the lawmakers who left the ruling party told parliament today that it was time for Rajapakha to resign.
“If we do not act now, a river of blood will flow in the country,” he said. “We must forget about micro-politics and guarantee the formation of a transitional government,” he added.
Opposition parties have already rejected a proposal by the Sri Lankan president and his older brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakha, to join a national unity government.
Parliament has suspended work to allow party leaders to rule on the opposition’s request for a vote later today to extend the state of emergency in Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to end on Thursday.
“The part of the protesters”
Nimal Lanza, a former minister who also resigned from the Rajapakha government, said the ruling party no longer had a mandate to govern and expressed support for citizens seeking the president’s resignation.
“I ask you and I ask you to take the side of the protesters,” he told parliament, addressing the prime minister.
All members of the government, with the exception of the president and his brother, resigned on Sunday night.
Numerous demonstrations demanding Rajabakha’s departure took place in various Sri Lankan cities despite a state of emergency in which the army can arrest offenders and a curfew imposed over the weekend.
The new coronavirus pandemic has slashed tourism and money transfer revenues, and Sri Lanka, facing a severe foreign exchange shortfall, is struggling to service its $ 51 billion foreign debt.
Economists also point to tax cuts that have deprived the state of revenue.
The government acknowledges that the country is facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948 and has asked for a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but negotiations with the financial institution of Washington may last until the end of the year.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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