Country faces an economic crisis that threatens to leave residents without basic items for survival; Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down on July 13
Protesters demanding the resignation of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa gather inside the Sri Lankan Presidential Palace complex in Colombo on July 9, 2022. to demand his resignation stormed the complex
the president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, promised this Saturday, 9, that he will resign from his position on July 13. “To ensure a peaceful transition, the president said he would present his resignation,” lawmaker Mahinda Abeywardana said in a televised statement. The announcement comes at a time when the country is facing an unprecedented crisis that has triggered rampant inflation, with severe shortages of fuel, electricity, food and medicine. THE UN calculates, among other things, that almost 80% of the population skips meals to face food shortages and high prices.
On Saturday, dozens of protesters stormed the presidential palace demanding the resignation of Rajapaksa. A mob attacked and set fire to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s private home, according to police and government officials. The protests take place the day after a curfew was announced that was not respected and some collaborators, such as the railway authorities, were forced to transport some of the protesters to Colombo to participate in the demonstration. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the first name to replace the president, also said he is willing to step down in order for the country to have a government of national unity.
unprecedented crisis
The crisis, with an unprecedented dimension since the country’s independence in 1948, is attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, which deprived the island of South Asia of the foreign exchange of the tourist sector, and was exacerbated by a series of bad political decisions, according to the economists. The UN urged the Sri Lankan authorities and government to calm down. In May, nine people died and hundreds were injured during unrest in the country. In April, Sri Lanka declared a $51 billion foreign debt moratorium and began negotiations for an International Monetary Fund bailout plan.
*With information from AFP
Source: Jovempan
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