Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign on July 13, says Speaker

Sri Lanka’s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would resign on Wednesday, Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena mentioned late Saturday night time, hours after hundreds of protesters stormed his official residence, blaming him for an unprecedented financial disaster that has introduced the nation to its knees.

President Rajapaksa knowledgeable the Speaker about this resolution to give up after Abeywardena wrote to him in search of his resignation following the all-party assembly of leaders held on Saturday night.

Also learn: Protesters swim in President’s pool as Sri Lanka struggles to remain afloat | Watch

The get together leaders had demanded the fast resignation of President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to make method for Abeywardena to grow to be performing president till Parliament appointed a successor.

Wickremesinghe, 73, has already expressed his willingness to resign. But an indignant mob didn’t spare his non-public dwelling right here and set it on hearth.

Rajapaksa, 73, responded to the Speaker’s letter, saying he would give up on July 13. Rajapaksa grew to become Sri Lankan President in November 2020.

Earlier, Speaker Abeywardena had requested President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to resign instantly to make method for an all-party authorities after the nation witnessed its greatest protest but amid an unprecedented financial disaster.

Abeywardena in his letter to Rajapaksa, whose whereabouts are nonetheless not recognized, knowledgeable him concerning the consequence of the get together leaders’ assembly he had convened this night after which Wickremesinghe supplied to resign and kind an all-party authorities.

He instructed Rajapaksa that get together leaders needed him and Wickremesinghe to resign instantly, Parliament to be convened in seven days to nominate an performing president, and appoint an interim all-party authorities beneath a brand new Prime Minister commanding majority in Parliament. It was additionally determined to name for elections inside a brief time frame and set up a brand new authorities.

Rajapaksa seems to have gone underground within the face of large public anger over an unprecedented financial disaster because the nation grew to become unbiased in 1948.

Earlier within the day, hundreds of protesters stormed the official residence of President Rajapaksa. It is believed that President Rajapaksa left the home earlier than the large crowd arrived.

At least 45 folks, together with seven safety personnel, had been injured in clashes between safety forces and the protesters a few of them holding Sri Lankan flags and helmets – who had gathered in giant numbers within the Fort space, demanding President Rajapaksa’s resignation.

Sri Lanka, a rustic of twenty-two million folks, is beneath the grip of an unprecedented financial turmoil, the worst in seven a long time, crippled by an acute scarcity of overseas trade that has left it struggling to pay for important imports of gasoline, and different necessities.

The nation, with an acute overseas foreign money disaster that resulted in overseas debt default, had introduced in April that it’s suspending almost USD 7 billion overseas debt compensation due for this 12 months out of about USD 25 billion due by means of 2026.

Sri Lanka’s complete overseas debt stands at USD 51 billion.

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