Thousands of protesters in Sri Lanka calling for the government to step down amid a spiralling political and economic crisis continued their campaign on Thursday.

The protesters continued the campaign after rejecting an invitation to talks by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The protesters ruled out talks with Rajapaksa, who sought to defuse the tensions with his invitation on Wednesday.

They said they would continue to demand the resignations of the prime minister and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his brother.

The protests held outside the president’s office entered their sixth consecutive day.

Protesters are camping in the area and have organised food, water and sanitation facilities.

Meanwhile, nationwide, people continue to struggle with fuel and gas shortages. Thousands lined up in the hopes of buying supplies.

Anger is growing at the government as people mark the traditional new year, events celebrated by the majority Buddhists as well as the minority Hindus.

The protesters outside the president’s office also marked the new year, carrying out the customary rituals at their makeshift camp.

Sri Lanka is preparing to open negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) next week while expecting further assistance from India and China amid an unprecedented economic crisis.

Politically, the government’s majority in the 225-seat parliament is under threat, with some ruling party members opting to become independent members.

The main opposition party is preparing a no-confidence motion against the government. Given the number of defections, it is unclear how much support the government currently has.

When it was formed, the government had 151 lawmakers, but 41 defected, although three returned. It would need 113 votes to remain in power. 

(dpa/NAN)