The president then fled several thousand protesters surrounding his home. Hours later, protesters set fire to the prime minister’s home. Now they are both announcing their departure.
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Protesters have broken into the private home of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and set it on fire, a statement from the prime minister’s office said.
A few hours earlier, Wickremesinghe announced that he would step down as Prime Minister.
Around 7 pm Norwegian time, the chairman of the National Assembly, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, announced that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will resign on 13 July.
“The president needs time to step down to ensure a smooth transfer of power,” Abeywardena said in a televised speech.
The President and the Prime Minister resign at the request of the National Assembly’s party leaders, and to enable a unity government in the country.
The president had to flee
There have been extensive demonstrations in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on Saturday.
The protesters believe that Rajapaksa is responsible for the country’s economic crisis, several media outlets write.
It is unclear where the president is, but according to several news agencies, he escaped when the protesters stormed the presidential residence, despite the large presence of security forces.
The president’s security forces fired several warning shots in an attempt to disperse the angry protesters, according to an official at the president’s office.
Rajapaksa recovered unharmed from the incident, according to the president’s office.
Reuters further reports that at least 39 people are injured, including two police officers.
Willing to resign
Wickremesinghe summoned party leaders in Sri Lanka to an emergency meeting following the storming of the president’s home.
A few hours later, Reuters writes that the Prime Minister’s office has said that he has accepted the demand from party leaders in parliament to resign.
No date has been set for the resignation of the Prime Minister, as was done with the President.
–In a Twitter-melding Wickremesinghe writes the following:
– To ensure the continuation of the government, including the security of all citizens, I accept the best recommendations from the party leaders today, to make room for a coalition government. To facilitate this, I am resigning as Prime Minister.
According to police, Wickremesinghe or his family were not present when protesters stormed his home.
The pressure has not only been directed at the president. The prime minister is also condemned because many believe he has not done enough to ease the crisis since he was appointed two months ago.
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Several demonstrations
On Friday night, there were also large demonstrations in the capital and near the president’s residence.
Police imposed a curfew on Friday night, but after protests from, among others, opposition politicians who thought the curfew was illegal, it was lifted on Saturday morning, according to ABC News.
–Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.
A witness told Reuters that the protesters got past several police roadblocks to get to the president’s residence. The police are said to have tried to stop the angry crowd, but failed.
According to the AP, the protesters have also entered his office which is to be located nearby.
On the verge of bankruptcy
The current economic crisis in Sri Lanka is the worst in over 70 years. The country, which is on the verge of bankruptcy, has not been in such a critical situation since independence from Britain in 1948.
This has resulted in huge demonstrations.
Sri Lanka is completely dependent on imports of goods such as food and fuel. Lack of currency has resulted in a huge debt. The country has suspended the payment of seven billion dollars on foreign debt due this year
–The lack of fuel for power stations leads to daily power outages, and people stand in line for days to buy petrol. Due to the crisis, inflation is sky-high, which particularly affects the poorest.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised against all travel to Sri Lanka that is not strictly necessary.
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