The former president, a refugee abroad after the popular uprising, has sent a letter to the country saying goodbye and making sure he was doing “everything possible” to resolve the economic crisis.
Sri Lanka’s parliament began proceedings this Saturday to elect a new president after accepting the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday following last weekend’s popular uprising that forced him to seek refuge abroad. In a letter read in the House, the former president, who is now in Singapore after a stopover in the Maldives, apologized to the country and claimed he had done “everything possible” to deal with the economic crisis. that ultimately claimed him. position.
“It is my personal belief that I have taken all possible steps to address this crisis, including the request for a concentration or unity government,” the letter reads from Rajapaksa, the last member of a family dynasty to rule Sri Lanka. dominated the past two decades. . The former president has attributed the country’s precarious situation to economic mismanagement before his term in office, in addition to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Speaker of Parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, for his part, has confirmed that the new president will be elected by the legislative body on July 20, a date previously chosen by the leaders of the political parties with representation. It has also stated that Rajapaksa’s resignation has been in effect since July 14 after receiving his letter of resignation. Currently, the head of state is held on an interim basis by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The popular revolution in Sri Lanka after several months of demonstrations over price hikes, lack of food, medicine and fuel has forced the Rajapaksa family permanently out of power after Gotabaya forced his brother Mahinda to resign as prime minister in a futile attempt to stem social unrest. to suppress. However, his efforts have failed to stem anger or alleviate the situation on the small Asian island, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence from the United Kingdom.
Source: La Verdad
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