On the day when demonstrators occupied the president’s home and office, party leaders in Parliament called for the resignations of both Ranil Wickremesinghe, the prime minister of Sri Lanka, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe chose to stand down on Saturday. In a statement published on Twitter, Wickremesinghe said, “To secure the continuity of the Government, including the safety of all citizens, I accept the best recommendation of the Party Leaders today, to make way for an All-Party Government. I’ll quit as prime minister to make this happen.
Following months of economic collapse and public turmoil that culminated in the assault of the presidential palace and office by anti-government protesters, party leaders in Sri Lanka reportedly demanded Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe resign in a meeting presided over by the Parliament Speaker.
Prior to a meeting to decide on the next steps to end the situation in Sri Lanka, the parliament’s speaker presided over early discussions between Wickremesinghe and a few party leaders.
