Sri Lanka’s Opposition signs no-trust, impeach motion amid worsening crisis

Amid the ongoing country’s worst-ever economic crisis, Sri Lanka’s main opposition on Wednesday signed a no-confidence and impeachment motion against the incumbent government.

Last week, the opposition had announced that it will move a no-confidence motion against the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and is prepared to impeach the embattled leader if he fails to address the concerns of the public facing hardships due to the country’s economic crisis.

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News organisation NDTV reported that about 50 members of the main opposition alliance Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) have signed the motion and are waiting for more opposition parties to join. 

The opposition in Sri Lanka requires 40 members from different opposition parties to sign before they move a no-confidence and impeachment motion in the parliament.

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In a tweet, Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa announced the move, saying, “without change, we will not stop”.

“WITHOUT CHANGE, WE WILL NOT STOP. @sjbsrilanka signing of No Confidence Motion & Impeachment Motion. Constitutional Amendment to abolish Executive Presidency & Repeal 20th Amendment on the way,” the tweet said, along with a picture of Mr Premadasa signing the document. 

Earlier, the opposition leader had called for the Executive Presidency to be abolished, saying power should be divided between the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.

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President Rajapaksa had proposed the creation of a unity government, but Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) rejected the idea.

On Tuesday, protests in Colombo intensified against the Sri Lankan government amidst the ongoing economic crisis, despite Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s appeal to the people to keep patience in order to enable the government to resolve the situation, news agency AFP reported.