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Image source, PMD
Kottapaya
Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has announced that he will step down after completing his remaining two years in office.
He mentioned this in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg News.
He has said he will not resign before the end of his term and will complete the remaining two years as the people have mandated for five years.
He made the remarks as people took to the streets to demand his resignation amid the economic crisis.
However he acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat him.
“I can’t go on as a failed president. I have been ordered for five years. I will not run in the election again, “said President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
At a time when Sri Lanka is facing a massive economic downturn, there is a shortage of various commodities, including fuel, gas and pharmaceuticals.
As a result, a model village called Kota Ko Gama was set up and the Presidential Secretariat was besieged and today is the 50th day of anti-government protests.
Protests are still taking place today in various parts of the country, not just the Presidential Secretariat.
Sri Lanka’s inflation has reached around 40 percent.
The protest turned violent on May 9, killing at least 10 people, including a member of parliament.
In addition, more than 200 people were injured and property worth crores of rupees was set on fire and damaged.
Following the violence, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse resigned.
Subsequently, on May 12, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the new Prime Minister in the presence of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
A scene from the ongoing struggle for Gotabhaya’s resignation.
Following this, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have requested a loan of US $ 4 billion from the International Monetary Fund, including India, China and Japan.
With more than two years to go before the presidential election, political uncertainty will increase until the end of Gotabhaya Rajapakse’s term, according to an economist, Bloomberg News.
The President has said that this situation would not have occurred if he had gone to the International Monetary Fund at least 6 months or a year ago.
The President said he had sought the assistance of India and China and had personally consulted with their leaders and sent letters.
He said he had personally held talks with leaders of Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, to obtain lubricants under a long-term agreement.
Also, we need to move forward on a grant basis. Civil servants or the military cannot be reduced. President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said in the interview that recruitment could be reduced.
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