Sri Lankan PM Wickremesinghe offers to resign to make way for all-party government

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday offered to resign to make way for an all-party government, as protests intensified in the country for the resignation of the government led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa for mishandling the country's worst economic crisis.

The Prime Minister's Media Division said that Wickremesinghe will resign after an all-party government is established and the majority is secured in Parliament.

His office said that Wickremesinghe, 73, will continue as Prime Minister until then.

Wickremesinghe was appointed the Prime Minister after anti-government protests forced the resignation of then prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the elder brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in May.

Wickremesinghe's offer to resign came after it was decided at the all-party leaders’ meeting that the President and the Prime Minister should resign immediately.

The meeting was held at Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena's official residence.

The Leader of the Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya Sajith Premadasa did not participate in the partly leaders’ meeting as he is currently in a private hospital in Colombo due to a sudden illness.

It is said that the majority of the party leaders have requested in the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Affairs that the Speaker should become the Acting President and work to form an all-party government under his leadership.

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Former President and Leader of Sri Lanka Freedom Party Maithripala Sirisena was also of the opinion that the President and the Prime Minister should immediately resign from their positions.

The former president in a statement through video call said his party is of the opinion that these activities should be done to preserve the peace and the Constitution.