Sri Lanka Crisis: President Agrees To Remove Brother From PM’s Chair

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has agreed to replace his older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister in a bid to resolve the political impasse caused by the worst economic crisis in the island nation, reported AP.

A national council will be appointed to pick a new PM and Cabinet to form an interim government comprised of all parties, member of Parliament and former President Maithripala Sirisena said after a meeting with Gotobaya on Friday.

A spokesperson for the PM, however, said there is no communication yet from the President.

President Gotobaya and his family have dominated Sri Lankan politics for almost the last two decades. Many in the country are of the opinion that the Rajapaksas are to blame for the situation the country has landed in.

Protesters have been demanding that they quit politics.

Three members of Rajapaksa family resigned from the Cabinet earlier this month, but the President and PM have held on to their positions.

The Sri Lankan government is near bankrupt, with foreign debt this year mounting to $7 billion while its foreign reserves are below $1 billion.

The country has announced suspension of payments on its foreign loans until a rescue plan is negotiated with International Monetary Fund.

Lack of foreign exchange has severely limited imports. Scenes of people waiting in long queues for long hours to buy essentials like food, fuel, cooking gas and medicine have been common since March.

A general strike was called on Thursday to pressurize the President to step down.