Mahinda Rajapaksa to quit as Sri Lanka’s prime minister

by Thusiyan
Dec 14, 2018
<p>Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa will step down from the post as prime minister tomorrow, in the latest twist to the island’s political crisis.</p> <p>His son and parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa tweeted the announcement, stating it was done “to ensure stability of the nation”.</p> <p>Rajapaksa is expected to give an announcement tomorrow.</p> <p>“The SLPP with Frm President, SLFP &amp; others will now work to form a broader political coalition with President Sirisena,” Namal added.</p> <p>"Unless the prime minister resigns, another prime minister cannot be appointed, said pro-Rajapaksa parliamentarian Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena. “But the country needs to face situations that it needs to face in January, a country cannot function without a budget."</p> <p>Mahinda Rajapaksa notoriously oversaw the massive military offensive that killed tens of thousands of Tamils during his tenure as president, which ended in 2015. Colombo was plunged into a political crisis, after current president Maithripala Sirisena appointed him as prime minister in October, leaving much of the government paralysed.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

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