Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday as national protests continue, likely paving the way for a new cabinet in a crisis-stricken country. This was a few days after President Gotbaya Rajapaksa called on the Prime Minister to resign at a special meeting on Friday as a solution to the ongoing political crisis in the country.
After the Prime Minister's resignation, President Rajapaksa is expected to invite all parties in parliament to form an all-party cabinet. On Monday morning, protesters demonstrated on the other side of the Prime Minister's Office, Temple Tree, demanding that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa not resign.
Mahinda said in a tweet, “While emotions are running high in #lka, I urge our general public to exercise restraint & remember that violence only begets violence. The economic crisis we're in needs an economic solution which this administration is committed to resolving.”
Sri Lanka has been in an economic crisis due to a shortage of foreign exchange, leading to a shortage of essentials such as fuel, food, and medicine. Protests in the country have been going on for days calling out the government and lawmakers to come up with urgent solutions.