Sri Lankan crisis: Sri Lanka’s Acting President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday asked Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to nominate a Prime Minister who is acceptable to both the government and the Opposition.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe held a meeting with the Members of the Cabinet at his office on Monday. All the ministers who participated in this meeting were of the opinion that as soon as there is an agreement to form an all-party government, they will hand over the responsibilities to that government, it said.
Accordingly, the ruling party and the opposition must form an all-party government. Wickremesinghe is under pressure to quit before the expected resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is said to be flying from the Maldives to Singapore. The protesters who stormed Wickremesinghe’s office on Wednesday are attempting to enter the parliament compound at the time of reporting. The police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters near the official residence of the speaker, police said.
A 26-year-old protester had died of breathing difficulties after being admitted to the hospital. He was part of the group that stormed the prime minister’s office this morning where 35 others had also been injured. The Prime Minister’s Media Division said the ruling party and the opposition must form an all-party government.