Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will not resign from his post despite the countrywide protests. Opposition has called for the leader to step down over his handling of the ongoing economic crisis, minister Johnston Fernando told the Parliament on Wednesday. “6.9 million people voted for the president,” he said.
The island nation is in the midst of a severe economic crisis, leading to fuel shortages and power cuts. 42 lawmakers from the ruling coalition say they will become independents leaving the government short of support.
Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa has revoked a state of emergency. The proclamation that took effect on April 1 is repealed as of midnight April 5, he announced on late Tuesday. Sri Lanka is seeking a much-needed financial bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
Critics say the government’s tax cuts soon after taking office in 2020 led to an unsustainable rise in public spending.
