As Reuters reported on 10 May 2022, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa heeded week-long demands by protesters and tendered his
resignation on 9 May, stating that he was "quitting to help form an interim, unity government". As reported by AP News on 12 May 2022, Ranil Wickremesinghe was re-appointed as prime minister just three days later in an effort to bring stability. He has already served five times in this top position.
World Watch Research analyst Thomas Muller comments: "Rajapaksa"s resignation came after demonstrators ignored a nationwide curfew and protestors at several places across the island were
killed, some even by pro-government politicians; in one case a member of parliament took his own life after killing two protestors (Channel News Asia, 9 May 2022). However, protestors are not satisfied with just the prime minister resigning, they are now demanding that his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, should step down as well. But even in the unlikely case that he does, any newly formed government would face a mountain of severe economic, financial and social problems."
Thomas Muller continues: "Until now, the demonstrations have not shown any
fault lines of ethnicity or religion (International Crisis Group, 18 April 2022). Neither Christian nor Muslim minorities have been targeted or used as scapegoats so far. It remains to be seen if this will still be the case when a new government (and possibly a new president) have to take tough decisions. The swearing in of five-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is, however, unlikely to end the protests: He is seen as being close to the Rajapaksa family and therefore more a part of the problem than the solution. It was also under his government that the devastating
Easter attacks in 2019 took place (BBC News, 28 April 2019)."
