Sri Lankan Cabinet to resign once all-party government is formed: PMO
The Hindu
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s office said all members of the Cabinet have agreed to hand over their responsibilities to a new all-party government as soon as it is formed.
The entire Sri Lankan Cabinet will resign and hand over their responsibilities to a new all-party interim government as soon as it is formed, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said on July 11, as the bankrupt island nation grappled with political and economic crises.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced on Saturday that he will resign on Wednesday. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also said that he will step down after a new government is formed. Opposition parties on Sunday held talks and decided to form an all-party interim government after President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe agreed to resign.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s office said all members of the Cabinet have agreed to hand over their responsibilities to a new all-party government as soon as it is formed.
"All the Ministers who participated in the discussion were of the opinion that as soon as there is an agreement to form an all-party government, they are ready to hand over their responsibilities to that government,” the Prime Minister’s office said. This was following a discussion held on Monday with Cabinet Ministers, it said.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had held discussions with the Mnisters on Monday morning. Party sources said that the issue of an all-party government would be discussed with the Speaker of Parliament later on Monday. Five Cabinet Ministers have already announced their resignation.
Mr. Rajapaksa agreed to bow to the party leaders’ request to resign following the popular uprising on Saturday. The President’s whereabouts are not known yet.
Earlier, Mr. Wickremesinghe announced that President Rajapaksa had officially conveyed to him the decision to resign. Later a release from the President's office said that the Presidential statements would only come from the office of the Speaker.
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