Sri Lanka PM likely to resign this week

Colombo [Sri Lanka], May 8 : Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is likely to resign this week so that the new cabinet can take over, local media reported.
Prime Minister Rajapaksa will brief the local council members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and then, later on, he will announce his resignation, Colombo Gazette reported.
This report came after President Gotbaya Rajapaksa in a special meeting on Friday requested Prime Minister to step down from power as a solution to the ongoing political crisis in the country.
Once the Prime Minister resigns, the President is expected to invite all the political parties in Parliament to form an all-party Cabinet, reported Colombo Gazette.
Earlier, the opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) confirmed that its leader Sajith Premadasa will not accept the PM's post in an interim government.
This comes at a significant juncture as Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa is learned to have responded positively to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's request to quit in the face of the deepening economic crisis.
SJB National Organizer Tissa Attsnayake, while speaking with the Sri Lankan media outlet, said, "Premadasa will not accept premiership of an interim government but SJB will give conditional support for an interim government."
Meanwhile, on Saturday, SJB also announced that it has decided to support the proposal of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) which stated that the current President must step down and the Executive Presidency must be abolished, as reported by Colombo Gazette.
Attorney At-Law Ajith Perera said that the SJB will meet the BASL to further discuss the issue. He further said that the proposals put forward by the BASL are on par with the policy of the SJB.
The crisis-hit Sri Lanka on Friday declared a state of emergency after the crippling strike and protest over the external debt for the second time in five weeks.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is struggling with acute food and electricity shortages, forcing the country to seek help from its neighbours. The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a clampdown on tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is unable to buy sufficient fuel and gas, while the people are being deprived of basic amenities as well.
The economic situation has led to huge protests with demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.