Sri Lankan refugee president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has announced his resignation via email. However, this should not be officially announced until Friday, when the original letter arrives by post, a spokesman for the cabinet of the Speaker of Parliament said. Meanwhile, protesters in the capital Colombo have pledged to withdraw from the presidential palace they occupy.
The same goes for other buildings. “We are peacefully withdrawing from the Presidential Palace, Presidential Office and Prime Minister’s Office with immediate effect, but we will continue our struggle,” a spokeswoman for the protest movement said on Thursday. Government critics blame President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for the severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Tens of thousands of people stormed the president’s property last weekend, followed by the official residence of the head of government on Wednesday.
curfew imposed
As reported, the head of government declared a state of emergency on Wednesday and imposed a curfew shortly after. At the same time, he ordered the military and police to “restore order”.
Prime Minister also offered to resign
Wickremesinghe was named interim president, but also tendered his resignation on Saturday. This should pave the way for a unity government. However, this has not been mentioned since. Rajapaksa and his wife flew to the nearby Maldives in a military plane on Wednesday. He continued to fly to Singapore on Thursday, Wickremesinghe’s office confirmed.
Sri Lanka’s parliament is expected to elect a new head of state next week. In the country of about 22 million people, there is a shortage of fuel, gas for cooking, medicines and food. Soaring prices and mismanagement may have played a role in the weeks of protests against the political leadership.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
