Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation to be officially announced tomorrow

On Thursday, July 14, the speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament said that the resignation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa would be officially announced once legal formalities are concluded

July 14, 2022 by Peoples Dispatch
A scene from the protest in Sri Lanka. Photo: @22Dinuk/NewsWire

On Thursday, July 14, the speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament said that the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would be officially announced once legal formalities are concluded. The president fled the country on Wednesday to Maldives before heading to Singapore. He also appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as Acting President, leading to massive protests. The protests were attacked by police who fired tear gas on protestors marching towards the Parliament building. Ambulances and journalists too were attacked.

On Thursday, protesters also evacuated the offices of the President and Prime Minister but pledged to continue their protests till their demands were met.

Tension had prevailed in the island on Wednesday as public anger rose as the unpopular Wickremesinghe took on his new job.

The Prime Minister’s Media Division said on Wednesday that, “Acting President and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to nominate a new Prime Minister who is acceptable to both the government and opposition.”

Sri Lankan police fired several rounds of teargas and water cannon, and even fired bullets into the air to disperse protestors marching to the Prime Minister’s office, injuring at least 30 people, according to the media outlet Newswire. The protestors rejected the appointment of Wickremesinghe and demanded his immediate resignation.

In Male, the capital of Maldives, where Rajapaksa was reportedly taking refuge until his “transit” to Singapore, protests took place on Wednesday against the country’s government for allowing the presence of the runaway leader on the island.

After taking control of the office as both President and Prime Minister, Wickremesinghe declared an island-wide emergency and appointed a committee of military commanders to enforce the curfew while military helicopters flew dangerously close to the protest location.

Opposition leaders, lawyers, constitutional experts questioned the legality of Wickremesinghe’s appointment to lead the country. Several party leaders have decided to call for the immediate resignation of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe.