As a result of demonstrators breaking into his official mansion and torching the prime minister’s home, Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa has stated he will resign. The president and prime minister were not present in the structure at the time.
Following months of protests over economic mismanagement, hundreds of thousands converged on the capital, Colombo, to demand Mr. Rajapaksa’s resignation.
Both Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and President Rajapaksa have announced their resignations, effective July 13. In addition to urging the public to “respect the law,” the speaker of the house of representatives stated that the president decided to step down “to ensure a peaceful turnover of power.” Citywide fireworks displays were set up in response to the announcement.
A seamless transfer of power will be the subject of additional discussions amongst political leaders. To keep things quiet, Sri Lanka’s military has pleaded with the populace to assist the security forces. After what happened on Saturday, the US asked Sri Lanka’s government to act quickly to fix the country’s economic problems.
It was time “to get rid of the president and the prime minister and to have a new era for Sri Lanka,” declared Fiona Sirmana, one of the protesters who were marching outside the president’s residence.
Read Also: Sri Lanka struggling to secure fresh fuel supplies
During the protests on Saturday, dozens of people were hurt, and three of them were being treated for gunshot wounds, a representative for Colombo’s main hospital told AFP.
In the midst of the nation’s greatest economic crisis in 70 years, Sri Lanka is dealing with high inflation and has difficulty importing food, fuel, and medical supplies. There are now days-long lines for fuel because the country ran out of foreign money and had to implement a restriction on the sale of gasoline and diesel for private automobiles.
Read Also: Sri Lanka is bankrupt, Prime Minister says
The spectacular events of Saturday appeared to be the conclusion of several months of primarily peaceful protests in Sri Lanka. Large groups of people gathered outside President Rajapaksa’s official residence, where they chanted and waved the national flag before trying to climb the fence and get into the building.
Videos posted online showed visitors wandering the residence and swimming in the president’s pool, while others cleaned out a chest of drawers, rummaged through the president’s possessions, and used his opulent bathroom.
The 22 million people who lived in the country were not forgotten by the protesters as they compared the palace’s wealth to the misery they had to go through for months.
“People have come here to relieve the stress that the entire nation is experiencing.” There is little doubt that they don’t have time to work for the country given the amenities in this home. ” As reported by Reuters’ Chanuka Jayasuriya,
