Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's ruling coalition lost its majority in parliament on Tuesday after at least 41 lawmakers walked out of the alliance amid growing unrest over an economic crisis, according to parliamentary proceedings.
"Our party is on the side of the people," said Maithripala Sirisena, leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party which withdrew its support for Rajapaksa's coalition.
The shift left Rajapaksa with a minority government, which could make decision making more challenging, although independent lawmakers can still continue to support government proposals.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Finance Minister, Ali Sabry, resigned on Tuesday a day after being sworn in.
"I hereby tender my resignation from the post of Minister of Finance with immediate effect," Sabry said in a letter to the president, seen by Reuters.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Sabry on Monday after dissolving his cabinet and dropping his brother, Basil Rajapaksa, who previously served as finance minister.
