Sri Lanka Prime Minister resigns amid protests over economic crisis

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Sri Lanka Prime Minister resigns amid protests over economic crisis

Sri Lankan government supporters make an attempt to attack anti-government protesters outside president's office residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, May 9, 2022. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned Monday following weeks of protests demanding that he and his brother, the president, step down over the country's worst economic crisis in decades. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

OAN Newsroom

UPDATED 7:19 AM PT – Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has stepped down amid the nation's worst economic crisis in decades. An aide to the Prime Minister submitted a letter to the President's Office on Monday confirming his resignation.

This comes as rampant inflation and shortages of essentials, including food and medicine, have sparked ongoing protests that started in March. Additionally, the former Prime Minister resigned hours after police announced a nationwide curfew after at least 100 people were sent to the hospital following demonstrations.

"He is trying to get more and more power," said Democratic National Alliance Leader Sarath Fonseka. "Trying to take the country into a dictatorship and take it in an direction where he thinks he can strengthen his family, he can strengthen his own hands and run the country like a dictator."

#BREAKING: Ancestral home of the Rajapaksa family in Medamulana, Hambantota set on fire by protesters. Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had resigned earlier today amid mass protests over the country's worst economic crisis since independence. pic.twitter.com/Pxb3kR5t1d

— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) May 9, 2022

In the meantime, trade unions in the country are calling for more protests throughout the week.

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