Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan leader leaves Maldives, protesters leave offices
Sri Lanka’s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the Maldives on Thursday after fleeing his own country amid mass protests demanding he resign over his country's economic collapse.
A Maldives government official said Rajapaksa boarded a flight of Saudia, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, on Thursday bound for Singapore. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Rajapaksa and his wife fled Sri Lanka early Wednesday aboard an air force jet as protesters were taking over government buildings to demand he resign. Rajapaksa promised over the weekend he would do so, but instead he named his prime minister acting president in his absence, further incensing those who blame the government for the crisis.
Meanwhile Thursday, the government announced a curfew in the capital Colombo and its suburbs to run until 5 a.m. Friday and protesters were withdrawing from the presidential palace after occupying it during the weekend. Some were seen unrolling a red carpet in the palace as they left.
Anticipating more protests after a group attempted to storm the Parliament’s entrance a day earlier, troops in green military uniforms and camouflage vests arrived by armored personnel carriers Thursday to reinforce barricades around the building.
Some protesters had posted videos on social media pleading with others not to storm the Parliament, fearing an escalation of violence.
Protest leader Devinda Kodagode told The Associated Press they were vacating official buildings after the Parliament speaker said he was seeking legal options to consider since Rajapaksa left without submitting his resignation letter as promised.
The protesters accuse the president and his powerful political family of siphoning money from government coffers for years and Rajapaksa’s administration of hastening the country’s collapse by mismanaging the economy. The family has denied the corruption allegations, but Rajapaksa acknowledged some of his policies contributed to the meltdown.
It was not immediately clear what Rajapaksa’s destination would be. Maldives officials initially indicated he planned to travel onward to Saudi Arabia, but later could only confirm his first stop in Singapore. Since Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in power it’s likely Rajapaksa planned his departure while he still had constitutional immunity and access to a military jet.
Read: Sri Lanka protests: One dead and 84 injured, say hospital officials
On Wednesday, protesters undeterred by multiple rounds of tear gas scaled the walls to enter the office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the crowd outside cheered in support and tossed water bottles to them. Protesters took turns posing at the prime minister's desk or stood on a rooftop terrace waving the Sri Lankan flag.
Amid the mounting chaos, Wickremesinghe’s office imposed a state of emergency giving broader powers to the military and police. Defense leaders have called for calm and cooperation with security forces — comments that have rankled some lawmakers who insist civilian leaders would be the ones to find a solution.
The protesters blame the Rajapaksas for leading the country into an economic abyss, but they are also furious with Wickremesinghe. They believe he has protected the president and that his appointment in May alleviated pressure on Rajapaksa to resign.
Wickremesinghe also has said he will resign, but not until a new government is in place. He has urged the speaker of Parliament to find a new prime minister agreeable to both the ruling and opposition parties.
It's unclear when that might happen since the opposition is deeply fractured. But assuming that Rajapaksa resigns as promised, Sri Lankan lawmakers have agreed to elect a new president on July 20 who will serve the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in 2024. That person could potentially appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by Parliament.
The political impasse threatens to worsen the bankrupt nation’s economic collapse since the absence of an alternative government could delay a hoped-for bailout from the International Monetary Fund. In the meantime, the country is relying on aid from India and China.
The shortages of basic necessities have sown despair among Sri Lanka’s 22 million people. The country’s rapid decline was all the more shocking because, before the recent crisis, the economy had been expanding, with a growing, comfortable middle class.
“Gotabaya resigning is one problem solved — but there are so many more,” said Bhasura Wickremesinghe, a 24-year-old student of maritime electrical engineering, who is not related to the prime minister.
He complained that Sri Lankan politics have been dominated for years by “old politicians” who all need to go. “Politics needs to be treated like a job — you need to have qualifications that get you hired, not because of what your last name is,” he said, referring to the Rajapaksa family.
After the president fled to the Maldives the whereabouts of other Rajapaksa family members who had served in the government were unclear.
Sri Lanka protests: One dead and 84 injured, say hospital officials
One person has died and 84 others injured after protests rocked the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo on Wednesday, hospital officials have said.
The 26-year-old man died from breathing difficulties after police forces lobbied tear gas at protesters, reports BBC.
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed acting president after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country.
But the decision triggered further protests demanding that he also resign.
A military spokesperson told the BBC said that a soldier and police officer were amongst the injured, and alleged that an assault rifle with ammunition had been stolen by a protester and had not yet been recovered.
Early on Thursday, Sri Lanka imposed a new curfew, which would be in place from 12:00 on Thursday till 05:00 on Friday, said the government in a statement.
The protests come as Sri Lanka has been suffering from its worst economic crisis in decades.
Many blame the Rajapaksa administration for the crisis and see Mr Wickremesinghe, who became prime minister in May, as part of the problem.
Hospital officials at the Colombo National Hospital said the injuries came from protesters who were outside the prime minister's office as well as those who were outside parliament later in the evening.
Police had fired tear gas at protesters who attempted to break down the gates of the prime minister's office in Colombo, before finally making their way in. They later made their way towards parliament.
In a television address late on Wednesday, Mr Wickremesinghe had called on protesters to leave his occupied office and other state buildings and co-operate with authorities.
Read: Sri Lanka waits in confusion, anger for president to resign
He also told the military to do "whatever is necessary" to restore order.
His statement came hours after Mr Rajapaksa had fled to the Maldives - days after his official residence was stormed.
Mr Rajapaksa had pledged to resign by Wednesday, but is still yet to submit a formal letter of resignation.
The leader, who has enjoyed immunity from prosecution as president, is believed to have wanted to flee abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of arrest by the new administration.
The president's departure threatens a potential power vacuum in Sri Lanka, which needs a functioning government to help dig it out of financial ruin.
Politicians from other parties have been talking about forming a new unity government but there is no sign they are near agreement yet. It's also not clear if the public will accept what they come up with.
In a press statement on Wednesday, Mr Wickremesinghe's team said he had asked the speaker of parliament to nominate a new prime minister "who is acceptable to both the government and opposition".
Earlier on Monday, the main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa told the BBC he would be tilting for the presidency. But he - like Mr Wickremesinghe - lacks public support. There is also deep public suspicion of politicians in general.
The protest movement which has brought Sri Lanka to the brink of change also does not have an obvious contender for the country's leadership.
Sri Lanka: The basics
Sri Lanka is an island nation off southern India: It won independence from British rule in 1948. Three ethnic groups - Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim - make up 99% of the country's 22 million population.
One family of brothers has dominated for years: Mahinda Rajapaksa became a hero among the majority Sinhalese in 2009 when his government defeated Tamil separatist rebels after years of bitter and bloody civil war. His brother Gotabaya, who was defence secretary at the time, is the current president but says he is standing down.
Presidential powers: The president is the head of state, government and the military in Sri Lanka but does share a lot of executive responsibilities with the prime minister, who heads up the ruling party in parliament.
Now an economic crisis has led to fury on the streets: Soaring inflation has meant some foods, medication and fuel are in short supply, there are rolling blackouts and ordinary people have taken to the streets in anger with many blaming the Rajapaksa family and their government for the situation.
Sri Lanka waits in confusion, anger for president to resign
Sri Lankans woke up to confusion on Thursday, still waiting for their embattled president to resign after he fled the country, as the island nation fumes over an economic meltdown that has sparked political chaos.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife fled to the Maldives on Wednesday aboard an air force jet. He made the prime minister acting president in his absence — a move that further roiled passions among a public that blames Rajapaksa for an economic crisis that has caused severe shortages of food and fuel.
On Wednesday, protesters, undeterred by multiple rounds of tear gas, scaled the walls to enter the office of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the crowd outside cheered in support and tossed water bottles to them.
Protesters took turns posing at the prime minister's desk or stood on a rooftop terrace waving the Sri Lankan flag after the latest in a series of takeovers of government buildings by the demonstrators — who see the political maneuvers as delaying their goal of a new government.
Late on Wednesday night, crowds also gathered outside the Parliament. Demonstrators clashed with security officers who fired tear gas into the air.
Wickremesinghe's office declared a nationwide curfew and imposed a state of emergency giving broader powers to the military and police. The curfew was lifted early Thursday.
Over the weekend, the two leaders both said they would resign after protesters stormed Rajapaksa's and Wickremesinghe's official residences in a dramatic escalation of months of protests. Some set fire to Wickremesinghe's private residence, and his whereabouts were unknown.
The protesters blame Rajapaksa and his powerful, dynastic family for leading the country into an economic abyss, but they are also furious with Wickremesinghe, whom they accuse of protecting the president. Many believe that his appointment in May alleviated pressure on Rajapaksa to resign.
“We need both ... to go home,” said Supun Eranga, a 28-year-old civil servant in the crowd on Wednesday. “Ranil couldn’t deliver what he promised during his two months, so he should quit. All Ranil did was try to protect the Rajapaksas.”
Read:Sri Lanka in crisis: President flees and ire turns to PM
But Wickremesinghe has said he will not leave until a new government is in place. He has urged the speak of Parliament to find a new prime minister agreeable to both the ruling and opposition parties.
It's unclear when that might happen since the opposition is deeply fractured. But assuming that Rajapaksa resigns as planned, Sri Lankan lawmakers have agreed to elect a new president on July 20 who will serve the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in 2024. That person could potentially appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by Parliament.
The political impasse threatens to worsen the bankrupt nation’s economic collapse since the absence of an alternative government could delay a hoped-for bailout from the International Monetary Fund. In the meantime, the country is relying on aid from neighboring India and from China.
With the country in disarray, Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Shavendra Silva called for calm and for cooperation with security forces. Similar comments have rankled opposition lawmakers, who insisted that civilian leaders would be the ones to find a solution.
Protesters accuse the president and his relatives of siphoning money from government coffers for years and Rajapaksa’s administration of hastening the country’s collapse by mismanaging the economy.
The family has denied the corruption allegations, but Rajapaksa acknowledged some of his policies contributed to the meltdown, which has left the island nation laden with debt and unable to pay for imports of basic necessities.
The shortages have sown despair among Sri Lanka’s 22 million people. The country’s rapid decline was all the more shocking because, before the recent crisis, the economy had been expanding, with a growing, comfortable middle class.
“Gotabaya resigning is one problem solved — but there are so many more,” said Bhasura Wickremesinghe, a 24-year-old student of maritime electrical engineering, who is not related to the prime minister.
He complained that Sri Lankan politics have been dominated for years by “old politicians” who all need to go. “Politics needs to be treated like a job — you need to have qualifications that get you hired, not because of what your last name is,” he said, referring to the Rajapaksa family.
After the president fled to the Maldives the whereabouts of other Rajapaksa family members who had served in the government were unclear.
Local media in the Maldives reported Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s planned travel to another country was delayed, forcing him to remain in the Indian Ocean archipelago Wednesday night.
Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in power, and it is likely Rajapaksa planned his escape while he still had constitutional immunity. A corruption lawsuit against him in his former role as a defense official was withdrawn when he was elected president in 2019.
Sri Lanka in crisis: President flees and ire turns to PM
Sri Lanka’s president fled the country without stepping down Wednesday, plunging a country already reeling from economic chaos into more political turmoil. Protesters demanding a change in leadership then trained their ire on the prime minister and stormed his office.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife left aboard an air force plane bound for the Maldives — and he made his prime minister the acting president in his absence. That appeared to only further roil passions in the island nation, which has been gripped for months by an economic meltdown that has triggered severe shortages of food and fuel.
Thousands of protesters — who had anticipated that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would be appointed acting president and wanted him gone— rallied outside his office compound and some scaled the walls. The crowd roared its support and tossed water bottles to those charging in.
Dozens could later be seen inside the office or standing on a rooftop terrace waving Sri Lanka’s flag — the latest in a series of takeovers of government buildings by demonstrators seeking a new government.
“We need both ... to go home,” said Supun Eranga, a 28-year-old civil servant in the crowd. “Ranil couldn’t deliver what he promised during his two months, so he should quit. All Ranil did was try to protect the Rajapaksas.”
But Wickremesinghe, who declared a state of emergency, appeared on television to reiterate that he would not leave until a new government was in place — and it was not clear when that would happen. Although he fled, Rajapaksa has yet to resign, but the speaker of the parliament said the president assured him he would later in the day.
READ: Sri Lanka's acting president says military appointed to maintain law, order
Police initially used tear gas to try to disperse the protesters outside the prime minister’s office but failed, and more and more marched down the lane toward the compound. As helicopters flew overhead, some demonstrators held up their middle fingers.
Eventually security forces appeared to give up, with some retreating from the area and others simply standing around the overrun compound. Inside the building, the mood was celebratory, as people sprawled on elegant sofas, watched TV, and held mock meetings in wood-paneled conference rooms. Some wandered around as if touring a museum.
“We will cook here, eat here and live here. We will stay until (Wickremesinghe) hands over his resignation,” said Lahiru Ishara, 32, a supervisor at a supermarket in Colombo who has been a part of the protests since they kicked off in April. “There’s no other alternative.”
Over the weekend, protesters seized the president’s home and office and the official residence of the prime minister following months of demonstrations that have all but dismantled the Rajapaksa family’s political dynasty, which ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades.
On Wednesday morning, Sri Lankans continued to stream into the presidential palace. For days, people have flocked to the palace — swimming in the pool, marveling at the paintings and lounging on the beds piled high with pillows.
At dawn, the protesters took a break from chanting as the Sri Lankan national anthem blared from speakers. A few waved the flag.
Protesters accuse the president and his relatives of siphoning money from government coffers for years and Rajapaksa’s administration of hastening the country’s collapse by mismanaging the economy.
READ: Thousands protest against Sri Lanka's new acting president
The family has denied the corruption allegations, but Rajapaksa acknowledged some of his policies contributed to the meltdown, which has left the island nation laden with debt and unable to pay for imports of basic necessities.
The shortages have sown despair among Sri Lanka’s 22 million people and were all the more shocking because, before the recent crisis, the economy had been expanding and a comfortable middle class was growing.
“Not only Gotabaya and Ranil, all 225 members of Parliament should go home. Because for the last few decades, family politics have ruined our country,” said Madusanka Perera, a laborer who came to Colombo from the outskirts the day protesters occupied the first government buildings. He lost his job, and his father, a driver, can’t do his because of fuel shortages.
“I’m 29 years old — I should be having the best time of life but instead I don’t have a job, no money and no life,” he said.
The political impasse has only added fuel to the economic disaster since the absence of an alternative unity government threatened to delay a hoped-for bailout from the International Monetary Fund. In the meantime, the country is relying on aid from neighboring India and from China.
As the protests escalated Wednesday outside the prime minister’s compound, his office imposed a state of emergency that gives broader powers to the military and police and declared an immediate curfew in the western province that includes Colombo. It was unclear what effect the curfew would have: Some ignored it, while many others rarely leave their homes anyway because of fuel shortages.
In his TV appearance, Wickremesinghe said he created a committee of police and military chiefs to restore order.
The air force earlier said in a statement that it provided an aircraft, with the defense ministry approval, for the president and his wife to travel to the Maldives, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean known for exclusive tourist resorts. It said all immigration and customs laws were followed.
The whereabouts of other family members who had served in the government, including several who resigned their posts in recent months, were uncertain.
Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in power, and it is likely Rajapaksa planned his escape while he still had constitutional immunity. A corruption lawsuit against him in his former role as a defense official was withdrawn when he was elected president in 2019.
Assuming Rajapaksa resigns as planned, Sri Lankan lawmakers agreed to elect a new president on July 20 who will serve the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in 2024. That person could potentially appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by Parliament.
“Gotabaya resigning is one problem solved — but there are so many more,” said Bhasura Wickremesinghe, a 24-year-old student of maritime electrical engineering, who is not related to the prime minister.
He complained that Sri Lankan politics have been dominated for years by “old politicians” who all need to go. “Politics needs to be treated like a job — you need to have qualifications that get you hired, not because of what your last name is,” he said, referring to the Rajapaksa family.
Thousands protest against Sri Lanka's new acting president
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled on a military jet on Wednesday after angry protesters seized his home and office, and appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president while he is overseas. Wickremesinghe quickly declared a nationwide state of emergency to counter swelling protests over the country's economic and political collapse.
Rajapaksa had earlier pledged to resign Wednesday, and Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said the president assured him he would still do so. If he does, a new president is to be elected by Parliament on July 20. Wickremesinghe has also promised to resign, but not until a new government is formed.
His appointment as acting president failed to calm thousands of protesters who stormed his office compound on Wednesday demanding he step down. Over the weekend, protesters wanting him to leave politics burned down his private residence.
A six-time prime minister, Wickremesinghe’s latest term is arguably the most challenging. Appointed in May by Rajapaksa, he was brought in to help restore international credibility as the government negotiated an economic bailout package with the International Monetary Fund.
Wickremesinghe, who is also finance minister, became the public face of the economic collapse, which has triggered severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines. He has delivered weekly addresses in Parliament as he kicked off difficult negotiations with financial institutions, lenders and allies to fill government coffers and give some relief to impatient citizens.
Read:Sri Lankan PM takes over powers of president
He raised taxes and pledged to overhaul a government that had increasingly concentrated power under the presidency, a model many say tipped the country into crisis.
In his new job, he left little doubt about the grave future ahead. “The next couple of months will be the most difficult ones of our lives,” he told Sri Lankans in early June, a few weeks before saying in Parliament that the country had hit rock bottom. “Our economy has completely collapsed,” he said.
Ultimately, observers say, he lacked both political heft and public support to get the job done. He is the only member of Parliament in his party after it suffered a humiliating defeat in a 2020 election.
His reputation had already been sullied by his previous stint as prime minister, when he was in a difficult power-sharing arrangement with then-President Maithripala Sirisena. A communication breakdown between them was blamed for intelligence lapses that led to Easter Sunday suicide bombings of churches and hotels in 2019 that killed 290 people.
With no respite for citizens waiting in line for fuel, food and medicine, Wickremesinghe became increasingly unpopular. Many protesters say his appointment simply put off pressure on Rajapaksa to resign. But analysts are doubtful whether a new leader can do much more, instead fearing that political uncertainty will only intensify the crisis.
India denies helping Prez Gotabaya flee Sri Lanka
India on Wednesday quelled rumours that it helped embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flee the island nation for the Maldives, hours before he was to step down amid violent protests over the country's worst economic crisis since independence.
In a statement on Twitter, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lankan capital Colombo said that it "categorically denies baseless and speculative media reports that India facilitated the recent reported travel of Gotabaya Rajapaska and Basil Rajapaksa out of Sri Lanka".
Read: State of emergency declared in Sri Lanka
Reiterating its support for the island nation, the High Commission tweeted, "India will continue to support the people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realise their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values , established democratic institutions and constitutional framework."
Later, the Sri Lankan military said in a statement that the 73-year-old President, his wife and two bodyguards left the main international airport near Colombo aboard a Lankan Air Force jet early on Wednesday. The armed forces attributed the decision to the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry.
Read: Sri Lankan president flees the country amid economic crisis
The outgoing President's unceremonious departure in the face of the violent protests marks the end of the powerful Rajapaksa clan that has dominated Sri Lankan politics for the past 20 years and credited for the elimination of the rebel Tamil Tigers.
State of emergency declared in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency in the South Asian country, the Prime Minister's Office said on Wednesday.
The police have imposed a curfew in the Western Province, including the capital Colombo, the Office said after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left the South Asian country amid an economic crisis.
Earlier in the day, the office confirmed that President Rajapaksa has left the country for the Maldives.
Rajapaksa had informed the speaker of Sri Lankan parliament that he would resign from the presidency on Wednesday. Sri Lanka this year has been suffering a severe economic crisis which has led to protests.
Sri Lanka's speaker of parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said political party leaders have decided to elect a new president on July 20 through a vote in parliament.
Read: Sri Lanka's new president to be elected on July 20: speaker
Sri Lanka lawmakers to pick new president but no deal on PM
Sri Lanka’s leaders agreed that lawmakers will elect a new president next week but struggled Tuesday to decide on the makeup of a new government to lift the bankrupt country out of economic and political collapse.
Desperate in the face of severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine, protesters on Saturday stormed embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s home, his seaside office and the official residence of his prime minister in the most dramatic day of a three-month crisis.
Both officials said they would concede to demands that they resign: Rajapaksa promised to step down Wednesday, while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he would leave once a new government was in place. In a possible indication of the president's next move, immigration officials said Rajapaksa's brother, who was once his finance minster, tried to leave the country on Monday night. Local media reported he was not able to.
But negotiating a new government has stymied opposition leaders — and the protesters have said they will stay put in the official buildings until their top leaders are gone. For days, people have flocked to the presidential palace turning it into almost a tourist attraction — swimming in the pool, marveling at the paintings and lounging on the beds piled high with pillows. At one point, they also burned the prime minister's private home.
A partial solution came late Monday, with lawmakers agreeing to elect a new president from their ranks in the coming days. Nominations for the post will be submitted on July 19, and a secret vote will follow in Parliament on July 20. The new president will serve the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in 2024.
But they have not yet decided who will take over as prime minister and fill the Cabinet. Between Rajapaksa’s expected resignation Wednesday and the vote, the prime minster will serve as president — an arrangement that is sure to further anger protesters who want Wickremesinghe out immediately.
Read: Sri Lanka's new president to be elected on July 20: speaker
The political impasse is further fueling the economic crisis since the absence of an alternative unity government threatened to delay an agreement for aid from the International Monetary Fund. In the meantime, the country is relying on aid from neighboring India and from China.
Corruption and mismanagement have left the island nation laden with debt, unable to pay for imports of food, fuel, medicine and other necessities, causing widespread shortages and despair among its 22 million people. Sri Lanka announced in April it was suspending repayment of foreign loans due to a foreign currency shortage.
Asked whether China was talking with Sri Lanka about possible loans, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official gave no indication whether such talks were happening.
“China will continue to offer assistance as our capability allows for Sri Lanka’s social development and economic recovery,” said the spokesman, Wang Wenbin. “As to its debt to China, we support relevant financial institutions in finding a proper solution through consultation with Sri Lanka.”
On Tuesday, Sri Lanka’s religious leaders urged protesters to leave the government buildings they're occupying if Rajapaksa steps down as promised Wednesday. The protesters have vowed to wait until both Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe are out of office.
It's not clear what will happen to those men once they do step down.
Months of demonstrations have all but dismantled the Rajapaksa political dynasty, which has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades, and there is speculation the president may try to flee Sri Lanka — as apparently his brother tried to.
S. Kanugala of Sri Lanka’s Immigration and Emigration Officers’ Association said Basil Rajapaksa’s name was spotted on a list of departures from Colombo airport Monday and his officers feared for their safety if they cleared him to leave.
Kanugala said the officers withdrew from their posts and he did not know what happened to the brother. But local media reported he was prevented from leaving the country.
Sri Lanka’s political chaos persists as crisis talks go on
A weekend of political chaos in Sri Lanka stretched into Monday, with opposition leaders yet to agree on replacements for embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his prime minister, whose residences remain occupied by protesters angered by the country’s economic collapse.
Crowds of demonstrators overran Rajapaksa’s home, his seaside office and the official residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday and demanded they step down in the most dramatic day of the three-month crisis. Leaders of two opposition parties held talks Monday but could not agree on their choices for president and prime minister.
Corruption and mismanagement has left the island nation laden with debt, unable to pay for imports of food, fuel, medicine and other necessities, causing widespread shortages and despair among its 22 million people. The country is seeking help from neighboring India, China and the International Monetary Fund.
Rajapaksa has said he will step down on Wednesday, according to the speaker of parliament. The protesters have vowed to stay until the resignations are official.
In a video statement Monday, the first since the weekend protests, Wickremesinghe reiterated he will stay on until a new government is in place because he wants to work within the constitution.
“A government has to function according to the law. I am here to protect the constitution and through it fulfill the people’s demands,” Wickremesinghe said. “What we need today is an all-party government and we will take steps to establish that.”
The president hasn’t been seen or heard publicly since Saturday and his location is unknown. But his office said Sunday he ordered the immediate distribution of a cooking gas consignment to the public, indicating he was still at work.
Months of demonstrations have all but dismantled the Rajapaksa political dynasty, which has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades.
Wickremesinghe also explained the sequence of events that led to the burning of his private residence on Saturday. He said the protesters gathered around his house after a lawmaker, in what Wickremesinghe said was an inaccurate tweet, stated he had refused to resign at a meeting of parliamentary party leaders.
Police charged with batons and fired tear gas, he said, adding: “The last option was to shoot. We did not shoot but they came and burnt the house.”
A group of nine Cabinet ministers said Monday they will quit immediately to make way for an all-party government, outgoing Justice Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakshe said. Wickremesinghe’s office said another group that met with him decided to stay on until a new government is formed.
The talks by opposition party leaders to form an alternative unity government is an urgent requirement of a bankrupt nation to continue discussions with the IMF.
Lawmaker Udaya Gammanpila said the main opposition United People’s Front and lawmakers who have defected Rajapaksa’s ruling coalition have agreed to work together. Main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and Dullas Alahapperuma, who was a minister under Rajapaksa, have been proposed to take over as president and prime minister and had been asked to decide on how to share the positions before a meeting with the parliamentary speaker Monday, but they did not reach an agreement.
“We can’t be in an anarchical condition. We have to somehow reach a consensus today,” Gammanpila said.
Opposition parties also are concerned about military leaders making statements on public security in the absence of a civil administration.
Lawmakers discussed Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Shavendra Silva’s statement over the weekend urging public cooperation to maintain law and order, said Kavinda Makalanda, spokesperson for Premadasa.
“A civil administration is the need, not the military, in a democratic country,” Makalanda said.
If opposition parties fail to form a government by the time Rajapaksa resigns, Wickremesinghe as prime minister will become acting president under the constitution. In line with the protesters’ demands, however, opposition parties don’t want him even as acting president.
They said that Wickremesinghe should promptly resign and allow Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to be acting president — the next in line under the constitution. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the country’s main lawyers’ body, has also endorsed that position.
Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister in May to try to resolve the shortages and start economic recovery. But delays in restoring even basic supplies has turned public anger against him, with protesters accusing him of protecting the president.
When Wickremesinghe took over as prime minister to salvage the economy, he said it would take at least a year to complete the initial steps needed for a full recovery.
Wickremesinghe had been part of crucial talks with the IMF for a bailout program and with the World Food Program to prepare for a predicted food crisis. The government must submit a plan on debt sustainability to the IMF in August before reaching an agreement.
Read: Sri Lanka in political vacuum as talks go on amid crisis
Sri Lanka is relying on aid from India and other nations until it is able to secure a deal in its negotiations with the IMF. Wickremesinghe said recently the talks were complex because Sri Lanka is now bankrupt.
Sri Lanka announced in April it was suspending repayment of foreign loans due to a foreign currency shortage. Its total foreign debt amounts to $51 billion, of which it must repay $28 billion by the end of 2027.
In describing the burning of his residence Saturday, Wickremesinghe said he lost what he called “my biggest treasure” — his library of 2,500 books, including those written during the Portuguese and Dutch colonial period from the 16th and 19th centuries. He said there were old books written on Buddhism, those signed by leaders like former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, historical paintings and Buddhist artifacts, which he had planned donating to his old school and a university after his death.
He said he also lost all of his collection of paintings except for one.
Sri Lanka's new president to be elected on July 20: speaker
Sri Lanka's speaker of parliament on Monday said political party leaders have decided to elect a new president on July 20 through a vote in parliament.
In a statement, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that following a meeting with all political party leaders, it was decided to convene parliament sessions on July 15 and inform the parliament that there was a vacancy for the presidency.
Read: Sri Lanka in political vacuum as talks go on amid crisis
Nominations for the presidency will be called for on July 19 and a vote will be taken on July 20 to elect a new president, the speaker said.
Party leaders also decided to form an all-party government under the new president and take steps to continue the supply of essential services.
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday said he will step down from the presidency on July 13 amid economic and political instability.