THE AP: COLOMBO — Sri Lanka Following the most chaotic day of political unrest in months, when protesters stormed both the president and prime minister’s homes and set fire to one of the buildings, opposition political parties in Sri Lanka will convene on Sunday to form a new government. The protesters were furious about the country’s economic crisis.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s whereabouts at the time were unclear, and government spokesman Mohan Samaranayake claimed to be unaware of the president’s whereabouts.
Protesters say they will stay until the leaders formally resign in the compound where they stormed the president’s official residence, his office, and the prime minister’s official residence. As Chief of Defense Staff Shavendra Silva appealed for public support to uphold law and order, soldiers were stationed throughout the city.
According to opposition lawmaker M. A. Sumanthiran, all opposition parties could easily secure the 113 seats necessary to demonstrate a majority in Parliament, at which point they would ask Rajapaksa to form the new administration and then step down.
The parties, he said, hoped to come to an agreement on Sunday.
Following the announcement by the prime minister that he would resign once a new administration had been formed, Rajapaksa announced his resignation on Wednesday, according to the speaker of the House of Representatives. As a result of the economic collapse, which caused severe shortages of necessities like food, fuel, and other necessities, pressure on both men had increased.
According to the constitution, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will act as interim president if both the president and prime minister step down.
Wickremesinghe was appointed prime minister by Rajapaksa in May in an effort to address the shortages and kick-start economic growth.
In order to address a projected food crisis, Wickremesinghe participated in crucial negotiations with the World Food Program and the International Monetary Fund for a bailout program. Before coming to a decision, the government must provide the IMF with a plan for the sustainability of its debt.
According to analysts, it is unlikely that a new leader could accomplish more than Wickremesinghe had. The first shipment of cooking gas orders arrived in the nation on Sunday, demonstrating the success of his government’s efforts to provide the country with much-needed fertilizer for the coming growing season.
Ranga Kalansooriya, a political analyst, warned that “this kind of unrest could create confusion among international organizations like the IMF and the World Bank,” adding that a new administration should agree to a common program for economic recovery.
While he acknowledged that Wickremesinghe was moving in the right direction, he claimed that his administration’s shortcoming was its failure to implement a long-term strategy to complement its focus on resolving immediate issues.
Without some member parties losing their political and ideological identities, it is unlikely that an all-party government will come to an agreement on IMF-backed economic reforms.
On Saturday, Wickremesinghe stated that it would not be appropriate for him to depart without a functioning government.
We have a fuel crisis, a food shortage, the head of the World Food Program is visiting, and we have a number of issues to discuss with the IMF, according to Wickremesinghe. “Therefore, if this government falls, another government should take its place.”
On Saturday, thousands of protesters flooded Rajapaksa’s fortified home in Colombo, the country’s capital. Numerous people lounged on beds, splashed around in the garden pool, and used their cellphone cameras to record the moment. While others issued statements from a conference room demanding that the president and prime minister leave, others brewed tea or went to the gym.
Despite claiming in their speeches to have spoken with the president, both Wickremesinghe and Abeywardena made no mention of his whereabouts.
According to Wickremesinghe’s office, protesters later broke into the prime minister’s home and set it on fire. The prime minister’s spokesperson could not be reached for comment, and it was unclear if he was present when the incursion took place.
As leaders attempt to negotiate a bailout with the IMF, the nation is dependent on assistance from India and other countries. Recently, Wickremesinghe claimed that the IMF negotiations were difficult because Sri Lanka was now a bankrupt nation.
Sri Lanka stated in April that it was postponing loan repayment to other countries due to a lack of foreign currency. It has a $51 billion total foreign debt, of which $28 billion must be repaid by the end of 2027.
The Rajapaksa political dynasty, which has ruled Sri Lanka for the majority of the last two decades but is accused by protesters of mismanagement and corruption, has virtually collapsed as a result of months of demonstrations. After fleeing to safety at a naval base during violent protests, the president’s elder brother submitted his resignation as prime minister in May.
The president’s whereabouts are still unknown, but he later moved into a house in Colombo.
