Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe announced today, Saturday, his readiness to step down from his post, after demands from party leaders during a meeting they held to discuss the situation in the country.
The Sri Lankan “News Wire” website, quoting the Prime Minister’s Office, said that he had “informed party leaders that he was ready to resign as prime minister and make way for an all-party government.”
“The prime minister will continue to run the government’s business until then [forming a new government],” he added.
Today, Saturday, mass protests swept the Sri Lankan capital, and instead of the planned peaceful march, demonstrators broke through police barriers and stormed the presidential palace.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was reportedly evacuated shortly before his home was besieged by protesters.
According to doctors, at least 33 people were injured as a result of the protests, including two policemen
The country is experiencing the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948, as the Corona pandemic hit the tourism sector, a major source of foreign exchange, leaving Sri Lanka unable to buy enough fuel.
Sri Lanka suffers from shortages of food, basic necessities, medicine and gas in the country, and many parts of Sri Lanka are facing constant power cuts due to fuel shortages.
The external debt of the island state is estimated at 51 billion dollars.