The crowd forced their way into President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official home amid growing anger over his handling of the worst economic crisis to hit the country.
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Saturday he is willing to resign to make way for an all-party government as thousands of protesters stormed the presidential palace in Colombo. However, Rajapaksa was not at home, having fled a day earlier as a safety precaution. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe held talks with several political party leaders to decide what steps to take following the unrest.
“Wickremesinghe has told the party leaders that he is willing to resign as Prime Minister and make way for an all-party government to take over,” his office said in a statement. But opposition leaders want Rajapaksa gone too. “The president and the prime minister must resign immediately. If that does not happen political instability will worsen,” said Sri Lanka Freedom Party leader and former president Maithripala Sirisena.
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