Colombo, July 15:
The speaker of parliament in crisis-hit Sri Lanka has accepted a resignation letter from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, having verified its authenticity after it was flown from Singapore late on Thursday, he told reporters. Protesters vacated government buildings Thursday in Sri Lanka as embattled president Gotabaya Rajapaksa at last emailed the resignation that demonstrators have sought for months. The resignation came a day after President Gotabaya fled the country with his wife, first to the Maldives and later to Singapore.
Though Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had been serving as the Acting President, had announced curfews following the storming of his office by protesters for the last two days, jubilant crowds gathered on the roads to celebrate President Gotabaya’s resignation. Protesters who had stormed government buildings, including the President’s residence and PM’s office, in the past week vacated them, saying they did not want to damage public property, following which Sri Lankan military troops moved in to reinforce security.
So what is in store? The country’s lawmakers have agreed to elect a new president from their ranks on July 20 who will serve the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term, i.e. until 2024. The president is likely to appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by Parliament.
