The prime minister’s spokesman, Dinuk Kolambaj, said Ranil Wickremesinghe had told party leaders that he would resign when all parties agreed on a new government. His decision came after the biggest protest to sweep Sri Lanka so far, as tens of thousands of people broke through barricades and entered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence and nearby office to vent their anger against a leader they see as responsible for the worst of the crisis. of the nation. Footage showed people taking a dip in the residence’s pool garden and others in a happy mood. Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister in May in the hope that the career politician would use his diplomacy and contacts to revive a battered economy. But people’s patience ran out as shortages of fuel, medicine and cooking gas increased and oil reserves ran low. Many protesters accuse Wickremesinghe of trying to save Rajapaksa when he came under pressure to quit, as every other member of his powerful political dynasty had resigned from the cabinet. Opposition parties in Parliament were currently discussing the formation of an all-party government. It was not clear whether Rajapaksa was inside his residence when he broke in earlier on Saturday. A government spokesman, Mohan Samaranayake, said he had no information on Rajapaksa’s whereabouts. Leaders of political parties in parliament later met and decided to ask Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe to resign, opposition lawmaker Rauf Hakim said on Twitter. He said a consensus was reached that the speaker of the House should take over as interim president and work for an interim government. Sri Lanka’s economy is in a state of collapse, aided by India and other countries, as its leaders try to negotiate a bailout with the International Monetary Fund. The economic collapse has led to severe shortages of essential goods, making it difficult for people to buy food, fuel and other basic necessities. The unrest has led to months of protests, which have nearly dismantled the Rajapaksa political dynasty that has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades. The president’s older brother resigned as prime minister in May after violent protests prompted him to seek safety at a naval base. Much of the public anger has focused on the Rajapaksa family, with protesters accusing them of dragging Sri Lanka into chaos with mismanagement and corruption allegations. Videos posted on social media showed protesters storming the residence, chanting “Go home,” calling the president by his nickname. Dozens were seen jumping in the pool, milling around the house and watching TV. Outside the building, barricades were knocked down and a black flag was raised on a pole. At the president’s office, security personnel tried to stop protesters who pushed through fences to run across the lawns and into the colonial-era building. At least 34 people, including two police officers, were injured in clashes as protesters tried to enter the residence. Two of the injured are in critical condition while others suffered minor injuries, said an official at the Colombo National Hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Thousands of protesters entered the capital from the suburbs after police lifted an overnight curfew. With fuel supplies running low, many crowded buses and trains into the city to protest, while others made their way on bicycles and on foot. Protesters and religious leaders called on Rajapaksa to step down, saying he had lost the people’s mandate. “His claim that he was voted by the Sinhalese Buddhists does not hold true now,” said Ven. Omalpe Sobitha, a prominent Buddhist leader. He urged Parliament to convene immediately to choose an interim president, but said Wickremesinghe did not enjoy popular support. Last month, Wickremesinghe said the country’s economy had collapsed. He said negotiations with the IMF were complicated because Sri Lanka was now a bankrupt state. In April, Sri Lanka announced it was suspending foreign loan repayments due to a shortage of foreign currency. Its total foreign debt is $51 billion, of which it must repay $28 billion by the end of 2027. Police had imposed a curfew in Colombo and several other major urban areas on Friday night, but lifted it on Saturday morning amid objections from lawyers and opposition politicians who called it illegal. US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung on Friday called on people to demonstrate peacefully and called on the military and police to “give peaceful protesters the space and safety to do so”. “Chaos and force will not fix the economy or bring the political stability that Sri Lankans need right now,” Chung said in a tweet.
Associated Press writers Bharatha Mallawarachi in Colombo, Sri Lanka and Krutika Pathi in New Delhi contributed to this report.
