Sri Lanka Crisis : New president within 7 days, says Speaker after accepting Rajapaksa’s resignation

Sri Lanka’s parliamentary Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywarden on Friday said that he has accepted a resignation letter from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, adding that the country will have a new President within a week’s time.

The country had been waiting for a formal announcement confirming the president had resigned after he fled to Singapore to escape anti-government protests triggered by his country’s dire economic crisis.

A day after fleeing Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa on Thursday emailed his resignation letter to the Speaker, soon after he was allowed by Singapore to enter the city-state on a “private visit” ending the suspense over his future in the face of massive public revolt against his government’s mishandling of the economy.

Spokesperson for the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the arrival of Rajapaksa and said: “He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum.”

The development came on a day when anti-government protesters announced to vacate some of the administrative buildings, including the President’s House and the PM Office that they have been occupying since April 9 demanding Rajapaksa’s ouster.

They, however, said that they would continue to occupy the front part of the Presidential Secretariat/ old Parliament and the Galle Face Green to continue the struggle called “Aragalya”. The “GotaGoGama” protesters said they will not give up until their demands are met.

With Rajapaksa’s resignation Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be the President.

Rajapaksa, the 73-year-old leader who had promised to resign on Wednesday instead appointed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe as the Acting President hours after he fled to the Maldives, escalating the political crisis and triggering a fresh wave of protests in the island nation.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, who is now Acting President, on Wednesday informed the Speaker to nominate a Prime Minister who is acceptable to both the Government and Opposition.

President Rajapaka’s brothers – former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and ex-finance minister Basil Rajapaksa – on Thursday gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court through their lawyers that they will not leave the country until the Fundamental Rights petition filed against them is heard on Friday, the Daily Mirror reported.

A five-judge bench of Lankan Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justice Buwaneka Aluwihare, Justice Priyantha Jayawardena, Justice Vijith Malalgoda, and Justice LTB Dehideniya are scheduled to hear on Friday the petition against the two members of the erstwhile powerful Rajapaksa family.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Army in a statement urged the protesters to desist from violence immediately or be prepared to face the “consequences”, warning that the security forces are “legitimately empowered” to exercise force.

At least 84 people were hospitalised when protesters clashed with the security forces at the PM office and at the main access junction to Parliament on Wednesday after President Rajapaksa fled the country. The police fired tear gas and water cannons at the mob who were trying to break barriers and enter the restricted zone.