Sri Lanka prime minister’s office confirms president to resign after protests

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has informed Excellent Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that he will resign, the prime minister’s workplace said on Mon (Jul 11), right after hundreds and hundreds of protesters stormed the official houses of both guys.

After Saturday’s sweeping protests in the wake of a debilitating economic crisis, the speaker of parliament said Rajapaksa would certainly resign on Wed. However , there has been no direct word from Rajapaksa on his plans.

Wickremesinghe has said he would also stage down to allow a good all-party interim govt to take over.

Leaders of the protest movement have stated crowds would keep occupying the houses of the president plus prime minister in Colombo until these people finally quit office.

Colombo, Sri Lanka’s largest city, was calm upon Monday as countless people strolled to the president’s secretariat plus residence and toured the colonial-era buildings. Police made simply no attempt to stop anybody.

“We aren’t going anywhere until this president leaves and we have a government that is acceptable towards the people, ” mentioned Jude Hansana, 31, who has been in a protest site away from residence since early April.

“The people’s struggle is perfect for wider political reconstructs. Not just for the president to leave. This really is just the start. inch

Another protester, Dushantha Gunasinghe, mentioned he had travelled in order to Colombo from a city 130km away, walking part of the way because of the fuel crunch. He said he finally reached on Monday morning.

“I’m so exhausted I can barely speak, inch said the 28-year-old as he sat on a plastic chair away from president’s office. “I came alone all of this way because I believe we need to see this through. This authorities needs to go home and need better market leaders. ”

Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe are not in their residences when the protesters surged in to the buildings and have not been seen in open public since Friday. Their own whereabouts are unidentified.