14 MPs from the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP), a coalition partner to the Rajapaksa regime, have withdrawn their support from the government amidst ongoing protests and an economic crisis that has led all members of the cabinet, bar the President and Prime Minister, to resign from their posts.
In a letter addressed to the President, the SLFP declared their intention to withdraw if the President failed to form a caretaker government. The move comes as a new cabinet has been sworn in with several members being close Rajapaksa allies. The new cabinet is comprised of Ali Sabry, Johnston Fernando, Dinesh Gunawardena, and G L Peiris.
Read more here: Sri Lanka's new cabinet - familiar faces are back
As protests across the country continue across the island, political parties have rejected the President's call for the formation of an all-party interim government.
Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror Deputy Editor has reported that talks between the government and SLFP have failed and that the Chairman and former President, Maithripala Sirisena, will make a special statement in Parliament tomorrow.
Talks between President and SLFP FAIL. SLFP quit as a govt coalition and decide to sit independently in Parliament.
— Jamila Husain (@Jamz5251) April 4, 2022
Tomorrow Maithripala Sirisena will make a special statement in Parliament. #SriLanka #SriLankaEconomicCrisis
Read more here.
