Sri Lanka: Cabinet ministers resign amid protests

Sri Lanka's government is set to appoint a new Cabinet on Monday after ministers resigned en masse after a meeting Sunday night.

"All ministers submitted their letters of resignation so that the president can constitute a new Cabinet," Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said.

The resignations came as thousands of Sri Lankans defied a nationwide curfew Sunday and took to the streets to protest against the government's handling of the economic crisis.

All 26 ministers, including Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Agricultural Minister Chamal Rajapaksa and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa, stepped down.

However, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother Prime Minister Mahina Rajapaksa, have held on to power.

Growing protests

Thousands of people, including opposition lawmakers, took to the streets Sunday to demand the ouster of the Sri Lankan president.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been accused of economic mismanagement that has resulted in immense hardship for ordinary Sri Lankans for months now.

With skyrocketing inflation and soaring food prices, many people in the South Asian nation are having a hard time meeting their basic needs.

A shortage of foreign currency reserves has also led to a dire shortage of fuel, with people living without power for several hours a day.

After protests turned violent last week, President Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency to tackle the growing political unrest.

Over the weekend, the government imposed a nationwide curfew to monitor and restrict the movement of people.

Even after people were arrested for taking to the streets on Saturday, others took to the streets to protest Sunday as well.

An earlier blackout of social media access failed to deter protesters, as small and large groups of Sri Lankans held up placards to echo their frustration, with many calling on the president to resign.

The Sri Lankan government removed restrictions on access to social media sites by Sunday afternoon amid growing pressure.