A large number of protesters gathered outside the secretariat in Sri Lanka’s Colombo Wednesday. The gathering of the protester is the result of lawmakers choosing Ranil Wickremesinghe to succeed president Rajabaya Gotapaksa, who fled the nation dealing with its worst economic crisis.
online protesters can be seen holding flags and raising slogans outside the presidential office.
Protesters have said both Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe – then the prime minister – quit, and warned of more agitations if their demands aren’t met.
The protesters told Reuters they see the ‘same values, corruption and oppression in Ranil as seen in Gotabaya Rajapaksa’. “We will continue the protest until Ranil goes home. It might take us a week, a month, two months, or 98 days. But we know people in Sri Lanka are not going to stand for it. We will get back on the streets and continue,” one person said.
“My effort was to support consensus-based policy-making to provide solutions to a deeply suffering population. I believe the space for that still exists and I will continue to work to strengthen that effort and work for the people,” Wickremesinghe said later.
“This is simply another milestone in my career. I hope that at least now you will cultivate the mentality to listen to the suffering masses,” he was quoted by Reuters.
