Lankan President Rajapaksa ready for all-party govt

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday convened a meeting of political parties on April 29 to discuss the possible formation of an all-party government to end the protracted political impasse in the country, amidst mounting pressure on Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign to and make way for an interim government.

A letter to all party leaders in the ruling coalition said the government was in agreement to form an all-party government comprising parties represented in Parliament, according to a statement.

The meeting has been fixed for April 29 to discuss the new arrangement after the resignation of prime minister Mahida Rajapaksa, it said.

This comes in the background of pressure mounted within the ruling coalition on the prime minister to resign to make way for an interim government. However, the statement from the president is in contrast to the position taken by his elder brother and the country’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. (PTI)