Sri Lanka’s opposition political parties are due to meet on Sunday to agree on a new government a day after the country’s president and prime minister offered to resign on the most dramatic day in months of political turmoil.
Earlier in the week, protesters broke into the houses of both leaders and set fire to one of the buildings in anger over the economic crisis in the country, and some protesters were photographed jumping into the private swimming pool of the presidential residence.
The protesters remained at President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s house, his seaside office and the prime minister’s residence, saying they will stay until he officially steps down. The whereabouts of the president are still unknown.
A statement from his office said he ordered officials to begin immediate distribution of a shipment of cooking gas to the public, suggesting he was still on the job.
Soldiers fanned out across the city and Defense Chief of Staff Shavendra Silva called for public support to maintain law and order. But the troops simply watched from afar as crowds splashed in the garden pool, lounged on beds and used their cellphone cameras to capture the moment at Rajapaksa’s sprawling residence.
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On Sunday, occupants of the prime minister’s official residence cooked in an outdoor kitchen, played carrom, a popular board game, and slept on large sofas.
Ranjith Madduma Bandara, a senior official with the main opposition United People’s Force party, said separate discussions have been held with other parties and lawmakers who have split from Rajapaksa’s ruling coalition and more meetings are planned.
He did not say when a deal might be reached, although it was expected to be finalized on Sunday.
Another opposition lawmaker, MA Sumanthiran, has earlier said that all the opposition parties combined could easily muster the 113 members needed to show a majority in Parliament, at which point they will ask Rajapaksa to install the new government and then step down.
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Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he will step down once a new government is in place, and hours later the speaker of parliament said Rajapaksa would step down on Wednesday. Pressure on both had increased as the economic crisis triggered severe shortages of essential items, leaving people scrambling for food, fuel and other necessities.
If both the president and prime minister resign, President Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will take over as interim president, according to the constitution.
Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister in May in an effort to resolve the shortage and start the economic recovery.
Wickremesinghe had been part of crucial talks with the International Monetary Fund for a rescue program and with the World Food Program to prepare for an anticipated food crisis. The government must present a plan on debt sustainability to the IMF in August before reaching an agreement.
Analysts say it is doubtful a new leader can do more than Wickremesinghe. His government’s efforts have shown promise, with much-needed fertilizer distributed to farmers for next season’s crop and orders for cooking gas arriving in the country on Sunday.
“This kind of unrest could create confusion among international organizations like the IMF and the World Bank,” political analyst Ranga Kalansooriya said, adding that a new administration should agree on a common program for economic recovery.
He said that while Wickremesinghe was working in the right direction, his administration’s weakness was not implementing a long-term plan that focused on solving day-to-day problems.
An all-party government is unlikely to agree to IMF-backed economic reforms without some parties losing political support.
Wickremesinghe said on Saturday that it was wrong for him to leave without a government in place.
“Today in this country we have a fuel crisis, a food shortage, we have the head of the World Food Program coming here and we have various issues to discuss with the IMF,” Wickremesinghe said. “Therefore, if this government leaves, there should be another government.”
Four cabinet ministers have resigned since Saturday’s protests.
While both Wickremesinghe and Abeywardena, the speaker of parliament, said in their speeches that they had spoken to the president, they said nothing about his whereabouts.
Protesters also broke into the prime minister’s private residence and set it on fire during Saturday’s melee. His party official, Ruwan Wijewardena, said Wickremesing was inside when the protesters gathered, but security officers moved him to a different location.
Wijewardena said that such acts will only polarize society and political parties.
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“If these types of incidents continue, we can say goodbye to the IMF and to any international aid that is going to reach the country. If there is anarchy, if there is no union between the political groups, there is no way that the international community can come in and help this country,” he said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was following developments in Sri Lanka and urged Parliament to work quickly to implement solutions and address public discontent.
Speaking at a news conference in Bangkok, Blinken said the United States condemns the attacks on peaceful protesters and calls for a full investigation into any violence related to the protests.
Sri Lanka relies on help from India and other nations as leaders try to negotiate a bailout with the IMF. Wickremesinghe recently said negotiations with the IMF were complex because Sri Lanka was now a bankrupt state.
Sri Lanka announced in April that it was suspending payments on foreign loans due to a shortage of foreign exchange. Its total external debt amounts to $51 billion, of which it must pay $28 billion by the end of 2027.
Months of demonstrations have all but dismantled the Rajapaksa political dynasty, which has ruled Sri Lanka for most of the past two decades, but protesters accuse it of mismanagement and corruption. The president’s older brother resigned as prime minister in May after violent protests prompted him to seek safety at a naval base. He later moved to a house in Colombo.
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