Ministers resign in wake of polls loss

• Multiple ministers and State ministers resign citing people’s mandate 
• Mangala, Malik, Harin, Harsha and Ruwan all step down
• Kabir Hashim also resigns from UNP Chairmanship  
• Calls for SP to remain Deputy Leader

Reacting to the victory of President-elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa several United National Party (UNP) ministers resigned yesterday including MPs Mangala Samaraweera, Malik Samarawickrama and Kabir Hashim. Many of the Cabinet and State Ministers took to social media to congratulate President-elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa while some took the opportunity to also step down from their portfolios and party positions.

A strong proponent of presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa, MP Mangala Samaraweera also resigned his ministerial post. In a letter to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Samaraweera stated that he wished to respect the peoples mandate and wished to resign his post. 

MP Malik Samarawickrama also tendered his resignation to the Prime Minister. “The people of our country have elected Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the Executive President of Sri Lanka and I wish to respect that mandate,” he stated. Samarawickrama also stated that he will retire from active politics after the end of the current parliamentary term.

Highways, Road Development and Petroleum Resources Minister and UNP Chairman Kabir Hashim resigned from both his portfolio and the UNP Chairmanship citing the need to respect the people’s mandate. 

“...It has been an honour to stand by Sajith Premadasa from his nomination through to Election Day. I will continue to stand by my leader who has proved himself beyond all obstacles and has been an example to all politicians,” Hashim stated. 

Sports Minister Harin Fernando took to Twitter saying he is stepping down from posts held in the United National Party (UNP) and portfolio as a mark of respect to the public mandate. Fernando was an ardent supporter of New Democratic Front (NDF) candidate Sajith Premadasa.

“While respecting the mandate of the people of Sri Lanka, I have decided to resign from my position as the Minister of Digital Infrastructure and IT with immediate effect. It was a well fought battle...” twitted UNP MP Ajith P. Perera who was the State Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure.   

Perera, another advocate of Sajith Premadasa, in the same Tweet stated that Premadasa’s leadership was crucial to the country at this stage. He called for continuation of the fight for democratic governance and the protection of rights of the Sri Lankan citizens and the party. 

Perera’s comments came in the wake of Sajith Premadasa announcing that he will step down as Deputy Leader of the UNP. Premadasa lost his electorate and cited it as the reason he was stepping down from the UNP Deputy Leader post. 

Also on Twitter, MP Dr. Harsha De Silva thanked those who voted for Premadasa and hoped that positives like the ‘Suwasariya’ ambulance service, which he spearheaded, will be carried forward by a new Government.  “While I am saddened we won’t have an opportunity to serve Sri Lanka, I wish Gotabaya Rajapaksa the strength to unite this deeply divided nation,” he added. 

MP Ruwan Wijewardene also announced his resignation from his twin ministries of Non-Cabinet Minister for Mass Media and State Minister of Defence on Twitter. Wijewardene also congratulated President-elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa and stated that he hoped to see a nation “free of divisions that moves forward”.