Sri Lankan prime minister resigns after protests amid economic crisis

Mahinda Rajapaksa presented this Monday (9) his letter of resignation to his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa| Photo: EFE/EPA/MAPUSHPA KUMARA

The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, presented this Monday (9) his letter of resignation to his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, confirmed the spokesman of the prime minister.

2022For weeks, protests have been taking place in the country, calling for the resignation of the president and of the Prime Minister for the alleged failure to deal with the current economic crisis, the biggest since Sri Lanka’s independence in 960.

2022“Several stakeholders indicated that the best solution for the current crisis is the formation of an interim government of all parties,” Rajapaksa wrote in the letter. “Therefore, I have submitted my resignation so that the next steps can be taken in accordance with the Constitution.”

Due to the protests, in which at least five people were killed, including a parliamentarian from the president’s party, the government imposed a curfew across the country from this Monday.