Calm returned to the streets of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, on Sunday as protesters cheered after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to resign after his home was raided amid anger over the country’s crumbling economy.
Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yappa Abhiwardena said Rajapaksa, the hero of the quarter-century civil war against Tamil rebels, plans to resign next Wednesday.
“The president decided to step down on July 13 to ensure a peaceful handover of power, so I appeal to the people to respect the law and maintain peace,” Abyordena added.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s office said the latter had agreed to step down, and local news channels showed huge flames and smoke rising from his home in a wealthy Colombo suburb.
Wickremesinghe has been prime minister six times, and is also seen as part of a ruling elite that doesn’t care about the people.
Neither the president nor the prime minister were present when people stormed their homes, while protesters continued to roam around the president’s residence on Sunday, parts of which were destroyed.
Colombo, Sri Lanka now. The presidential palace is attacked, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is said to have fled. Incredible scenes live reports on @IndiaToday: https://t.co/p6JV6FzCub pic.twitter.com/8zlJdBfN2P
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) July 9, 2022
Protesters, many draped in Sri Lankan flags, stormed the president’s colonial-era residence and jumped into the swimming pool on Saturday.
Others set fire to the house of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who also agreed to resign to make way for an all-party government.
Thousands of people rallied in the port city to demand Rajapaksa’s resignation after months of mismanagement of the crisis, escalating peaceful anti-government protests on the island near major shipping lanes.
Sri Lankan protesters found relief from the Colombo heat in a swimming pool at President Rajapaksa’s official residence. #Sri Lanka protests #Sri Lanka crisis pic.twitter.com/tNtClOFric
– Global Conflict Monitoring Center (@WorldBreakingN9) July 9, 2022
The International Monetary Fund, which is in talks with the Sri Lankan government about a possible $3 billion bailout, said on Sunday it was closely monitoring the situation.
He added in a statement: “We hope to find a solution to the current situation that will allow us to resume our talks on a program supported by the International Monetary Fund.”
The World Bank also expressed “deep concern” about the impact of the economic crisis on people.
The protests that toppled the country’s president came as Sri Lanka suffered months of food and fuel shortages, power outages and soaring inflation after it ran out of foreign currency needed to import vital goods.
Sri Lanka has also defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt and is negotiating a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund.
According to economists, this unprecedented crisis since the country’s independence in 1948 is attributed to the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, which deprived the island of tourism sector revenues and, according to economists, was exacerbated by a series of bad political decisions.
Source: Lebanon Debate
