As Sri Lanka saw the demonstrations – against worst-ever economic crisis – hitting a peak, Army chief General Shavendra Silva on Sunday made an appeal to protesters.
The country’s two top leaders – Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa – on Saturday agreed to step down amid the massive stir.
While Rajapaksa’s palace was breached, Wickremesinghe’s private home was also set on fire amid public anger over the struggle for essentials. The opposition parties are set to meet on Sunday in hopes to form a new government as the island country struggles to pay billions in debt.
Here are the top developments on Sri Lanka crisis:
In a brief statement, Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva was quoted as saying in reports that an opportunity has arisen to resolve the current crisis in a peaceful manner. He requested all Sri Lankans to support the Armed Forces and the Police to ensure that peace is maintained in the country, Colombo Gazette news portal reported.
The opposition parties are set to meet on Sunday. Opposition lawmaker M. A. Sumanthiran was quoted as saying by news agency AP that all opposition parties combined could easily muster the 113 members needed to show a majority in Parliament.
Stressing that the opposition hopes to reach a consensus on Sunday, he added that the opposition lawmakers would ask President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to install the new government and then resign.
The International Monetary Fund – in talks with the Sri Lankan government for a possible $3 billion bailout – said on Sunday it was monitoring the situation closely. “We hope for a resolution of the current situation that will allow for resumption of our dialogue on an IMF-supported program,” the global lender said in a statement, news agency Reuters reported.
On Saturday, President Rajapaksa said he would quit on July 13. Wickremesinghe too will be in office till the installation of the new government. If both president and prime minister resign before the formation of new government, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will take over as temporary president, according to the constitution, AP reported.
Rajapaksa’s resignation has been a long-standing demand of the protesters. He and his brother – former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa – have been blamed for the country’s worst-ever economic crisis. The powerful brothers have ruled the country for most part of the two decades.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s whereabouts are unknown for now ever since thousands stormed into his palace on Saturday in unprecedented visuals.
This week, Sri Lanka PM had announced it was bankrupt. The country has $51 billion in debt and it should pay $28 billion by the end of 2027, according to an AP report.
Ranil Wickremesinghe who took office in May for the sixth time as the country’s PM had had been sharing constant updates on his efforts to revive the country’s economy. Yet he faced public anger on Saturday as his house was set on fire.
Neither Rajapaksa nor Wickremesinghe were in their residences when the buildings were attacked..