Sri Lanka: Opposition meets to discuss new government
July 10, 2022
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe agreed to resign on Saturday. Opposition parties are rushing to replace them with a coalition.
Protesters have said they will not leave the presidential compound until President Rajapaksa steps downImage: Eranga Jayawardena/AP/dpa/picture alliance
The main opposition party, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), met with other opposition parties with the aim of coming to a consensus on Sunday so that they can form a government and Rajapaksa can resign.
Opposition lawmaker M. A. Sumanthiran from the Tamil National Alliance said that a coalition of all opposition parties could easily reach the 113 members needed to form a parliamentary majority.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said on Saturday he would step down to make the way for a coalition government to take power. President Rajapaksa also agreed to resign a few hours later, following months of protests calling for his removal that came to a head on Saturday as protesters stormed his residence.
Protesters spend the night in luxury
The storming of Rajapaksa's home in the capital Colombo led to soldiers firing into the air so that the president could flee with the help of the navy. It was not clear where he was then taken and government spokesperson Mohan Samaranayake said on Sunday he had no information about Rajapaksa's whereabouts.
Protesters stayed the night in the presidential palace, saying on Sunday that they would not leave until Rajapaksa finally steps down.
Student activists, who have played a big role in the protests against the government, said that they found 17.8 million rupees (roughly $49,000 or €48,000) in Rajapaksa's room, which they handed over to the police, AFP reported.
Ordinary Sri Lankans took the opportunity to inspect the colonial-era palace, lounge on its sofas, swim in the compound's private pool and try on Rajapaka's clothes.
President Rajapaksa has said he will step down on July 13 after protesters stormed the presidential compoundImage: AFP
"They enjoyed super luxury while we suffered," B. M. Chandrawathi, a 61-year-old handkerchief seller, told Reuters. "We were hoodwinked. I wanted my kids and grandkids to see the luxurious lifestyles they were enjoying."
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had been conducting talks and the political upheaval has thrown their progress into doubt. The government has to submit a proposal to the IMF in August.
"We hope for a resolution of the current situation that will allow for resumption of our dialogue on an IMF-supported program," the lending body said on Sunday.
In pictures: Sri Lanka unravels into political turmoil
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is set to step down after protesters stormed his official residence. Protesters also breached the prime minister's home and set it on fire as discontent with the government grew.
Sri Lanka's legislature has announced that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will step down next week after widespread protests calling for him to take responsibility for the nation's worst economic crisis in recent memory.
The announcement of Rajapaksa's resignation came hours after tens of thousands of protesters had stormed his official residence. Rajapaksa was moved to a safer area, an official within his office said, while a top defense source told the AFP news agency, "The president was escorted to safety."
Image: Dinuka Liyanawatte/REUTERS
Beat the heat as tensions soar
As the country struggles to cope with an energy crisis, the protesters took some time to cool off at the pool inside the presidential palace. In a bid to appease protesters, the president had removed his close relatives from top government positions, including two of his brothers, Mahinda and Basil, who until recently served as the country's prime minister and finance minister, respectively.
Image: AFP
Prime minister's private residence set on fire
Protesters also breached Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's private residence and set it on fire. In the aftermath, Wickremesinghe agreed to step down from his position, after summoning an emergency meeting of party leaders. He said he was willing to make way for an all-party government.
Sri Lanka's 22 million people have suffered months of surging inflation and lengthy power cuts after the government ran out of foreign currency to import essential goods.
Image: Amitha Thennakoon/AP/picture alliance
Sri Lanka is 'bankrupt'
Sri Lanka is bankrupt and its unprecedented economic crisis is set to last until at least the end of next year, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said earlier this week. With debts of more than $50 billion (€48.5 billion) owed to foreign creditors, the country is fast running out of gasoline, medicine and food.
Image: Saman Abesiriwardana/Pacific Press/picture alliance
Residents forced to seek alternatives
As the country runs out of fuel, residents have been forced to turn to alternatives like firewood for cooking and bicycles for commuting. Several people say these are impractical alternatives, but the dire economic crisis has left them with no choice.
Image: Ishara S. KODIKARA/AFP
Worst economic crisis since independence
Sri Lanka is in the midst of its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948. The country defaulted on its foreign debt in April. Wickremesinghe, who was appointed prime minister in May, has pledged to establish a relief program and a new economic plan which would allow him to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
