Sri Lanka president agrees to form all-party interim government with a new PM, say reports

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has agreed to form an all-party interim government led by a new prime minister, said a report in Sri Lankan media quoting former president Maithripala Sirisena. The prime minister, says that report, will lead a new cabinet.

Sri Lanka is currently facing acute economic problems and the interim government is being constituted with a view to steer the country out of the current situation.

Prio to the meeting, Jeevan Thondaman, a leader of Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) told WION's Dasuni Athouda that his party won't be in attendance. CWC is a former ally of government headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa. Thondaman was even a minister in the government. He told WION that formation of all-party interim government was just another attempt to shuffle the deck and no concrete solution was likely.

He further added that the CWC remained firm in its stance to support a No Confidence Motion put forward by any party as long as the motion fits with the party ideologies and principles.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is under tremendous pressure to quit as citizens are staging massive protests in many parts of the country. The country witnessed a nationwide strike on Thursday (April 28)

The island nation of 22 million people has been hit by months of acute shortages of food, fuel and medicines, prompting widespread protests.

But Thursday's nationwide strike was the first time the entire country had been brought to a standstill since the demonstrations began, with both state and private sector employees taking part.

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Public transport was stopped, teachers quit school while shops and offices closed, police and regional officials said.

(With inputs from agencies)