05 April,2022 10:25 AM IST | Colombo | IANS
Gotabaya Rajapaksa. File pic
Amid the ongoing political upheavel in Sri Lanka triggered by the massive economic crisis, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said that he will not resign, but is ready to hand over the government to whichever party holds 113 seats in Parliament.
On Monday, Rajapaksa held back-to-back political meetings amidst public protests throughout the nation, calling on the President and government to resign, reports the Daily Mirror newspaper.
Voting will take place when Parliament convenes on Tuesday to see which party holds 113 seats or above.
The President's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) SLPP is now trying to hold on to its 113 seats so that it can continue in the government even with a simple majority, while Mahinda Rajapaksa remains the Prime Minister.
ALSO READ
Sri Lanka President Wickremesinghe calls for deepening ties with India
13 more Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka Navy repatriated to India
Nod for 39 names for Sri Lanka prez poll
Sri Lankan presidential election braces for record number of contestants
Indian fisherman dies in collision between Sri Lankan vessel and Indian fishing boat
If the government fails to show its numbers then a proposal will be made to the Speaker to call for a debate to see who would be the new Prime Minister and as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has decided, the government will be handed over to the new party.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main coalition partner of the SLPP, announced that all 14 lawmakers would leave the government and stand independent.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former Defence Secretary in his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa's government, played a crucial role to end 26-year-long war against Tamil rebel Tigers. At the 2019 Presidential election, he was elected President with a sweeping 2/3 majority with over 6.9 million votes.
Lack of dollar reserves and depreciation forced economic crisis lead to severe shortages of fuel, LP gas, electricity and essential food and people are demanding Rajapaksa to give up power immediately.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
