Sri Lanka's ruling alliance loses majority ahead of parliament meet
Dozens of Sri Lankan lawmakers walked out of the ruling coalition on Tuesday, amid public anger against the ruling Rajapaksa family as the country struggles with its worst economic crisis in decades.
At least 41 legislators from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) walked out of the alliance, undermining President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ability to ratify a state of emergency imposed on Friday to quell the growing public protests.
“There are endless shortages of essentials including fuel and cooking gas. Hospitals are on the verge of closing because there are no medicines,” Maithripala Sirisena, leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party that withdrew its support for Rajapaksa's coalition, was quoted as saying.
“At such a time our party is on the side of the people,” he said in his speech inside the parliament.
The lawmakers called on President Rajapaksa to present a clear plan to find a resolution to the country's financial mess.
Rajapaksa dissolved his cabinet on Monday in the hope to form a unity government calling on all political parties representing the parliament to take part in forming a unity government to handle the nationwide crisis.
However, opposition groups rejected the offer demanding the ruling party step down.
Finance Minister Ali Sabry resigned a day after he was appointed in place of the third brother of the Rajapaksa family.
The country is on the verge of crucial talks with the International Monetary Fund, pointing out in his resignation letter that "the country needs stability to weather the current financial crisis and difficulties."
Meanwhile, street protests against the government intensified on Monday with crowds gathering in several towns protesting the shortage of essential goods and fuel exacerbated by hours-long power cuts, leading to police clashes.
The protesters demand a change in government, in particular, targeting the ruling Rajapaksa family.
Critics say the roots of the crisis, the worst in several decades, lie in economic mismanagement by successive governments that amassed huge budget shortfalls and a current account deficit.
The crisis was accelerated by deep tax cuts Rajapaksa promised during the 2019 election campaign and enacted months before the COVID-19 pandemic, which wiped out parts of Sri Lanka's economy.
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