Prime minister quits as crisis escalates
COLOMBO: The brother of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned as premier yesterday as weeks-long protests over Asia’s fastest inflation turned violent, prompting the government to impose a curfew and call in the army.
Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa submitted his resignation to the president, his spokesman Rohan Weliwita said by phone. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has accepted the resignation, Sudeva Hettiarachchi, a spokesman for his office said.
The resignation paves the way for the president to put opposition members in key government roles, one solution he’s proposed to end the crisis. But it’s unclear if the prime minister’s resignation will placate angry citizens, who have called for Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down as well.
The prime minister’s resignation would also dissolve the federal cabinet, raising questions about who would lead Sri Lanka’s ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for emergency funds to buy food and fuel. Soaring prices of everything from gasoline to essential medicines have kept protests on the boil in Sri Lanka, which is close to bankruptcy and has suspended payments on foreign debt.
The island nation imposed a nationwide curfew yesterday as clashes erupted between government supporters and citizens demanding the Rajapaksas resign over the nation’s worst economic crisis since independence.
Television footage yesterday showed groups setting fire to tents put up by anti-government demonstrators outside the prime minister’s official residence in Colombo, the capital. Similar scenes played out in front of the city’s waterfront promenade, where for weeks citizens have lined up peacefully to call for the president to step down.
Local news reports also said the military was ordered to quell the violence in Colombo. There was no immediate comment from the army. Police could be seen using water cannons to disperse the crowds and douse flames.
A central bank press conference scheduled for yesterday afternoon was also cancelled after the curfew was imposed.
The economic crisis has morphed into a political one as opposition and protesters demand the Rajapaksas’ ouster and for the country’s constitution to be amended to roll back the sweeping executive powers of the presidency.
The violence erupted as IMF officials are set to hold virtual talks with their Sri Lankan counterparts from yesterday through May 23 on the country’s request for support from the multilateral agency.