President names four Ministers in new cabinet and invites Opposition to join govt.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday extended an invitation to all political parties to join the government to find solutions to the ongoing crisis in the country. The invitation came hours after cabinet ministers resigned from their posts.

Following the mass resignation of Cabinet ministers Sunday night, President Rajapaksa on Monday announced at least four new Ministers, according to news from Sri Lanka.

Replacing his brother Basil Rajapaksa, the President named Ali Sabry, who was until Sunday night the Minister of Justice, as the new Finance Minister. G L Peiris has been retained as the Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena as the Education Minister and Johnston Fernando as the Minister of Highways.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Monday invited the Opposition to accept ministerial portfolios and help find a way out of the country’s worst economic crisis. A statement by his office read, “President Gotabaya Rajapaksa invited all political parties to come together to find solutions to the ongoing national crisis.”

Sporadic protests demanding the resignation of President Rajapaksa reportedly continued Monday morning after the 36-hour curfew was lifted. The country remains under a state of emergency, which was declared after an angry mob surrounded the private residence of the President on March 31. 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.

Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal also tendered his resignation to President Rajapaksa on Monday.

in the last few days, the Sri Lankan economic crisis has taken an intense turn. The government, after declaring an emergency Friday, had restricted access to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media sites for almost 15 hours. The ban was lifted on Sunday, following massive outrage. According to a local news report, the move was aimed at "preventing masses from gathering in Colombo to protest the government’s failure to provide relief to the public suffering from shortages of food, essentials, fuel and medicine amidst hours-long power cuts."