Colombo: Sri Lanka’s president has agreed to replace his brother with another leader as prime minister in the proposed interim government to resolve the political deadlock caused by the country’s worst economic crisis in decades. A prominent MP gave this information on Friday.
MP Maithripala Sirisena said after a meeting with the President that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had agreed that a national council would be appointed to nominate a new prime minister and form a cabinet representing all parties in parliament.
Meanwhile, Gotabaya asked political parties to submit majority figures for the interim government. Sirisena was the President before Rajapaksa. He was a ruling party MP before defecting earlier this month along with around 40 other MPs. However, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s spokesman Rohan Velivita said the president has not conveyed any intention to remove the prime minister and a decision will be announced if such a move is taken.
Earlier, Mahinda Rajapaksa had reshuffled his cabinet and proposed a coalition government in an attempt to end the protests. The two Rajapaksa brothers hold their respective positions as president and prime minister, while three other members of their family resigned from the cabinet in early April in what appears to be an attempt to pacify angry protesters.
Meanwhile, the President asked a group of disgruntled MPs from (his) ruling SLPP coalition to initiate talks with opposition parties on their proposal to form an interim government to deal with the unprecedented economic crisis. A delegation of Sirisena’s SLFP met the President in the morning to press their demand for the formation of an interim government. Later, the President held talks with another dissident faction that had split from the ruling coalition.
Officials in the President’s Office said political parties have agreed to constitute a five-member committee, which will hold talks with the main opposition SJB and other opposition parties. The President asked them to show their majority by garnering the support of 113 MPs in the 225-member parliament to form an interim government.
