Sri Lanka’s president has already lifted the state of emergency he declared on Friday. The state of emergency was imposed in response to recent protests against the country’s poor economic situation.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced his decision in the Sri Lankan Official Gazette. He did not give a specific reason for lifting the state of emergency.
Under a state of emergency, the military can arrest and detain people without warrants. There was also a curfew in most parts of the country.
It is politically unstable. Almost all ministers and central bank governors resigned. Finance Minister Ali Sabri resigned today, a day after his appointment.
The alliance loses the majority
The coalition has lost its majority in Parliament, but the president refuses to resign. The same is true of his older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, the country’s Prime Minister.
Demonstrations began last month over food and fuel shortages. It has intensified in recent days. Police used tear gas to disperse a crowd of 3,000 on Thursday. They demanded the resignation of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, and threw stones and set fire to buses.
The country’s poor financial situation is also reflected in the government’s announcement to temporarily close Sri Lankan embassies in Oslo and Baghdad and the consulate in Sydney from April 30 due to financial difficulties.
