Sri Lanka economic crisis update: Entire cabinet ministers resign, except PM Mahinda Rajapaksa

In a recent development, the entire cabinet of the Sri Lankan government resigned on Sunday night, with the exception of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, amid increasing turmoil in the island nation over the economic crisis.

All 26 ministers have resigned from their posts, including Prime Minister Rajapaksa's eldest son, Namal Rajapaksa. Experts say the administration was under significant public pressure over its alleged "mishandling" of the issue, despite the ministers' refusal to identify the cause for their collective resignation.

This comes just over an hour after Namal Rajapaksa, the country's Sports Minister and PM Rajapaksa's son, resigned from all of his positions.

Namal Rajapaksa, also tweeted about his resignation, claiming he is loyal to his voters and the people of Hambanthota. "I have informed the Secretary to the President of my resignation from all ministries, effective immediately, in the hope that this will aid HE and the Prime Minister in their choice to restore stability to the people and government of LKA."

Earlier, on March 31, After protesters surrounded Rajapaksa's private residence Sri Lanka proclaimed a state of emergency and enforced a 36-hour curfew. Later, a complete ban was placed on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube.

Sri Lanka is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades, and protesters have demanded for Prime Minister Rajapaksa's resignation. On social media platforms in Sri Lanka, the hashtags"#GoHomeRajapaksas" and "#GotaGoHome" have been trending for days.

Rajapaksa, on the other hand, has defended his government, claiming that the economic crisis was not his fault and that the economic downturn was largely triggered by the pandemic, with the island's tourism revenue and inward remittances dwindling.