Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has announced he would resign after protesters broke into his official residence and set fire to the prime minister’s home.
The Prime Minister and President were not present in the buildings at the time of the incident, according to reports.
The South Asian nation has recently suffered, leaving millions unable to purchase basic necessities.
Schools have been closed, and fuel has been restricted to essential services only. Patients are unable to travel to hospitals due to a lack of fuel, and food prices are skyrocketing.
Trains have become less frequent, forcing commuters to cram into compartments and even sit precariously on top of them as they commute to work.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in recent months, calling for the country’s leaders to resign over accusations of economic mismanagement as demonstrators breached the official residences of the president and prime minister.
Parliamentary speaker Mahinda Abeywardana said the president has decided to step down next week, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also said he is willing to resign .
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According to opposition lawmaker Rauff Hakeem, a consensus has been reached for the speaker of Parliament to serve as interim president and work on an interim government.
The president’s resignation was announced just hours after protesters stormed his fortified residence in Colombo.
