Amid large scale protests against the government over the escalating economic crisis in the country, Sri Lanka's entire cabinet resigned on Sunday.
The Sri Lankan ministers submitted their resignation to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who continues to hold the office.
New set of cabinet ministers in economic crisis-hit Sri Lanka is likely to be sworn in on April 4.
According to media reports, the decision was taken after discussing the worsening economic crisis. The country's education minister Dinesh Gunawardena told reporters that the Cabinet ministers handed over their resignations to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Three members of Rajapaksa family, the youngest Rajapaksa brother, Basil, and their eldest, Chamal, and the family's scion Namal also quit amid mounting public anger against the acute shortages of food, fuel and medicines.
Reports say Ali Sabry will be sworn in as the finance minister with Dinesh Gunawardena set to become the new education minister. Local media reports say Prof. G. L Peiris will be the new foreign minister and Johnston Fernando will be the new minister of highways.
Earlier protesters defied a curfew to take to the streets in several cities.
Over 600 people were arrested in Sri Lanka on Sunday for violating curfew and staging anti-government rallies to protest the country’s worst economic crisis.
It is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which is used to pay for fuel imports. With power cuts lasting half a day or more, and shortages of food, medicines and fuel, public anger has reached a new high.
The country has been battling an economic crisis for the past two years ever since the pandemic hit two years with its foreign reserves at an all-time low. The country has been hit by fuel shortages and power cuts amid the crisis.
