Sri Lanka opposition demands President Rajapaksa resign, rejects unity government offer amid economic crisis

Gotabaya Rajapaksa called for unity government after cabinet members resigned; opposition have dismissed the invitation as ‘nonsensical’

The country imposed a state of emergency on Friday to quell widespread protests over shortages focusing on leadership of the powerful family

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People shout slogans against Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and demand that Rajapaksa family politicians step down, during a protest amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:02am, 4 Apr 2022Updated: 11:27pm, 4 Apr 2022

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dropped his brother as finance minister on Monday after calling for a unity government, as protests against a deep economic crisis in the country focused on the leadership of the powerful family.

The nation’s opposition later dismissed the president’s invitation to join a unity government as “nonsensical” and instead demanded he resign over the country’s worsening shortages of food, fuel and medicines.

The debt-laden country, run by Rajapaksa and several members of his family since 2019, is struggling to pay for imports of fuel and other goods due to a scarcity of foreign exchange.

People calling for the president’s resignation on Monday over his apparent failure to address Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. Photo: EPA-EFE

The president had asked opposition parties represented in parliament to “join the effort to seek solutions to the national crisis,” after the late-night resignation Sunday of nearly all cabinet ministers to pave the way for a revamped administration.

But the leftist People’s Liberation Front (JVP) responded on Monday by urging Rakapaksa and his powerful family to immediately step down.

“He really must be a lunatic to think that opposition MPs will prop up a government that is crumbling,” said JVP lawmaker Anura Dissanayake.