Burak Bir
10 July 2022•Update: 11 July 2022
ANKARA
Sri Lanka's investment promotion minister resigned on Sunday amid crippling political and economic chaos in the South Asian country.
Although the president and the prime minister on Saturday agreed to leave their offices, Dhammika Perera's resignation further adds to the political turmoil in the country.
Perera shared his resignation letter on Twitter, saying that he has informed the president of his decision to quit "with immediate effect."
He claimed that he took the role because of the current economic situation and "the great love he has for the country."
Perera was appointed as minister for investment promotion on June 24.
On Saturday, thousands of protesters in Sri Lanka stormed the president’s official residence and demanded his immediate resignation.
The parliament speaker hours after announced that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will resign on July 13, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also expressed his willingness to step down after the formation of an all-party government.
Crippled by a shortage of foreign exchange, the island nation of 22 million people has defaulted on all of its foreign debt.
Amid currency depreciation and high inflation, the country has been unable to pay for petrol and other necessities, resulting in anti-government protests. A lack of fuel for power stations has also resulted in constant power cuts. State employees have been asked to work from home, while schools are closed.
The government is negotiating a bailout package with the International Monetary Fund.
