Citizens hold Gotabaya Rajapaksa responsible for deep economic crisis
The leader has fled and his prime minister calls a government meeting to tackle the problem
The Sri Lankan Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe offered his resignation this Saturday and the formation of a Government of national unity, in a day of massive demonstrations against the president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in which thousands of people entered the official residences of both leaders.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Wickremesinghe “is willing” to accept the recommendation of the parties opponents, who during a meeting called by the President of Parliament demanded his resignation and that of Rajapaksa for mismanagement of the economic crisis plaguing Sri Lanka.
Government of National Unity
The offer to form a government with presence of all political parties it would serve to prevent the country from descending into chaos as it tries to obtain a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as cope with fuel and food shortages.
“The distribution throughout the island of fuel should begin this week, the director of the World Food Program is due to visit the country this week and the debt sustainability report for the International Monetary Fund will be finalized soon,” the ministerial office said. .
MP and member of the Muslim Congress Party of Sri-Lanka Rauff Hakeem, present at the meeting, highlighted on Twitter the “overwhelming request” to demand the resignation of the president and the Prime Minister by the political formations.
“The speaker (of parliament) decided to write to the president and prime minister to resign due to the overwhelming demand,” Hakeem said.
massive protests
Hundreds of protesters they entered this Saturday in the residence official residence of the Sri Lankan President in Colombo, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as well as the official Temple Trees residence of the Prime Minister and the Presidential Secretariat building.
Rajapaksa had previously left the area on request of the security forces, who were unable to contain the torrent of protesters despite the use of tear gas, the Sri Lankan daily Ada Derana reported. And a spokesperson for the Colombo National Hospital told the media that at least twelve people have been injured.
Thousands of people gathered in Colombo this Saturday, many of them arriving from other parts of the island country, to mark the third month of continuous protests demanding Rajapaksa’s resignation.
The country is mired in one of the worst economic crises since its independence in 1948, derived from the decrease in foreign exchange from international reserves and a large indebtedness.
Tension and discontent increased on the island at the end of March, when the authorities imposed power cuts of more than 13 hours, which led the population to take to the streets to demand the resignation of the Sri Lankan Executive.
Since then, hundreds of protesters have settled in the vicinity of the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo and peaceful protests around the island nation have become common as authorities try to reach a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund.
Thus, local television channels showed images of hundreds of people climbing through the gates of the presidential palace, a colonial-era building, located by the sea and a symbol of power in Sri Lanka. Some protesters livestreamed videos on social media showing a crowd wandering inside the palace.
Video footage of Sri Lankan protesters taking over President’s office in Colombo
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Government officials claimed to be unaware of Rajapaksa’s intentions after he fled. “We are awaiting instructions,” a senior official told AFP. “We still don’t know where he is, but we do know that he is with the Sri Lankan Navy and that he is safe.”
runaway inflation
Tens of thousands of people had previously participated in a demonstration in Colombo to demand resignation of Rajapaksa, considered responsible for the unprecedented crisis affecting Sri Lanka and causing a runaway inflationas well as a serious shortage of fuel, electricity and food. The UN estimates, among other things, that about 80% of the population skip meals to deal with shortages and rising prices.
Colombo’s main hospital reported that 14 people received treatment after being hit by tear gas during the demonstration. According to the authorities, some 20,000 soldiers and police had been sent to Colombo to protect the president.
On Friday, law enforcement officials imposed a curfew in an attempt to dissuade protesters from taking to the streets. However, this measure was lifted after opposition parties, human rights activists and the country’s Bar Association threatened to sue the police chief.
Still, the curfew was largely ignored by protesters, some of whom even forced railway authorities on Saturday to take them by train to Colombo to take part in the demonstration, officials told AFP. The United Nations urged the Sri Lankan authorities and the protesters to ensure that Saturday’s meetings were held peacefully.
months of stress
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In May, nine people were killed and several hundred were injured during unrest in the country. In April, Sri Lanka declared default on its $51 billion foreign debt and began bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
This crisis, of an unprecedented magnitude since the country’s independence in 1948, is attributed to the covid-19 pandemic, which deprived this South Asian island of foreign exchange from the tourism sector and has been aggravated by a series of bad political decisions, according to economists.