Colombo:  Sri Lankan President Gotabya Rajapaksa has invited the Opposition parties to join the cabinet and asked them to help find a way out of the country’s worst economic crisis.

The statement of the President's office reads that “The Sri Lankan President has invited all political parties representatives in Parliament to take up ministerial posts and work together to find a solution to the national crisis.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President has formed a new cabinet to run the day to day administration of the country. 

The current crisis is due to several economic and global factors. As one of the leading democracies in Asia, it needs to be addressed within the framework of democracy itself. Together we must work together in the national interest for benefit of citizens and future generations, Mr. Rajapaksa stated in his letter.

President has invited opposition parties to accept the ministerial post after all 26 Cabinet Ministers resigned with immediate effect late on Sunday night. The  Education Minister and Leader of the House, Dinesh Gunawardena, said the Cabinet Ministers, including the Sports Minister and the President’s nephew, Namal Rajapaksa, handed over their resignations to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

He proffered no reason for the mass resignation. Following this, the Governor of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank, too, announced his resignation Monday morning.

Sri Lanka has imposed a curfew in Colombo after widespread protest across the country.

President has declared an emergency after people have demanded his resignation. On Sunday, over 600 people were arrested in Sri Lanka’s Western Province for violating the curfew and trying to stage an anti-government rally. The enraged public has been blaming the Rajapaksa family for the ongoing crisis, with the two brothers at the helm as Prime Minister and President.