All Cabinet Ministers quit in Sri Lanka 

Mahinda remains PM, to meet Gotabaya.

All Cabinet Ministers in Sri Lanka resigned late on Sunday, amid raging protests by citizens asking the Rajapaksa administration to quit for “failing” the country in its crisis response.

They submitted their resignation to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who remains in office and is scheduled to meet President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday morning, Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena announced.

This paves the way for President Gotabaya to form a fresh Cabinet, amid demands from coalition partners for a “caretaker government”.

Cabinet members who decided to resign included three members of the ruling clan – Irrigation Minister Chamal Rajapaksa and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa, who was among the first to resign at a heated discussion among Prime Minister Mahinda and Cabinet members, informed sources said.

Earlier, defying a curfew imposed by the government, Sri Lanka’s Opposition parties, several student groups and citizens took to the streets on Sunday, as public outrage swells over the Rajapaksa administration’s response to the economic crisis.

While the country awaits a critical economic recovery plan from the government, President Rajapaksa faces heightening pressure, including from his coalition partners. They are seeking a new caretaker government immediately, else threatening to quit.

In the afternoon, scores of university students in Colombo gathered near Nugegoda and marched chanting anti-government slogans. Despite heavy police presence, they persisted with the rally.