Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns after weeks of protests

AP

Colombo, May 9

A Sri Lankan policeman, left, and a civilian helps an anti-government protester who was beaten up by government supporters during a clash in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, May 9, 2022.

An official says Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has resigned following weeks of protests demanding that he and his brother, the president, step down over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

An aide to the prime minister, Wijayananda Herath, confirmed that Rajapaksa submitted a letter of resignation to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. There was no immediate official confirmation from the president’s office.

The resignation follows attacks by Rajapaksa supporters on peaceful protesters demanding that the brothers leave office.

The resignation of the prime minister means that the entire Cabinet is dissolved, paving the way for a new government.

Sri Lanka is near bankruptcy and has suspended repayments of its foreign loans. A severe foreign currency shortage has resulted in acute shortages of imported essentials such as fuel, cooking gas and medicine.

Published Date: 2022-05-09 17:35:00

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