The government of Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka has lost its majority in parliament with its allies and at least 12 of its own dissident MPs deciding to sit as an independent group.  The Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa would now be required to invite any other party to prove majority of 113 in the 225-member Sri Lankan parliament.

After defections, the ruling SLPP, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, has been reduced to 105 members. The dissidents including those from the ruling party has gone up to 41 and is likely to increase.

In such a situation, the president must appoint a care-taker government which will hold mid-term elections. This political crisis emanating from the financial crisis is entirely driven by public outrage.

Sri Lanka’s new finance minister Ali Sabry resigned a day after being appointed. He had replaced the youngest Rajapaksa brother Basil who was sacked by the president on Tuesday.

The opposition had rejected the president’s offer of a unity government and all the ministers from the cabinet tendered their resignations to the Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Massive protests have engulfed the country due to the current situation arising out of political crisis in Sri Lanka. The island nation is going through a worst economic crisis with reports of shortage of essential supplies. The prices of essentials have risen and the people have no other option but to stand in long queues for fuel and cooking gas.