Colombo 15 July 2022 (TDI): The Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene, stated on Friday morning that the resignation of Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has been accepted.
Rajapaksa submitted his resignation on Thursday through an email.
Speaker Abeywardene stated at a press conference that Rajapaksa’s official resignation from his office was received on July 14. The office of the Parliament Speaker examined the legality of resignation before accepting it.
He also shared that Ranil Wickremesinghe will serve as Interim President until the election of a new President in seven days.
Rajapaksa escaped first to the Maldives and then to Singapore on Wednesday after Sri Lanka’s economic situation worsened. On Wednesday, he designated Wickremesinghe to “exercise, perform, and discharge the powers, responsibilities, and functions of the Office of President, effective July 13, 2022.”
Response from governments of Singapore and Maldives:
The Foreign Ministry of Singapore stated on Thursday that Rajapaksa had arrived for a “private visit.”
The Government of Singapore also stated, “He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum.”
According to a statement released by the Maldives government on Thursday, a Sri Lankan Air Force aircraft carrying Rajapaksa and his spouse on a transit visit was granted diplomatic clearance to land on July 13 at Sri Lanka’s official request.
Abeywardene announced last Saturday, amidst widespread demonstrations, that the president would resign on July 13.
Thousands of protestors invaded the presidential palace in the capital city of Colombo. The protestants set fire to the prime minister’s residence before this occurrence.
Due to a lack of foreign exchange reserves caused by the collapse of its tourism-dependent economy, the 22 million-people island nation has defaulted on its entire foreign debt.
Sri Lanka has been unable to pay for fuel and other necessities, resulting in protests against the government.
Insufficient fuel for power stations has resulted in daily power outages. Government employees have been asked to work from home. Schools have also been closed.
