The speaker of parliament in Sri Lanka, affected by the crisis, has officially accepted a letter of resignation from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, after verifying its authenticity after it was flown from Singapore.
Key points:
- Gotabaya Rajapaksa submitted his resignation by email on Thursday afternoon
- His resignation became official once the document was legally verified
- Mr Rajapaksa’s decision to make his ally, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, acting president, has sparked further protests
“From this point on, we will go on to constitutionally appoint a new president,” said rapporteur Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.
Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on Wednesday amid a wave of unrest as its island nation struggles with its worst economic crisis in decades.
He arrived in Singapore after a stopover in the Maldives.
Abeywardena said parliament will meet on Saturday to begin the process of electing a new president.
He hoped the process would be completed in seven days.
The new president will serve the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in 2024.
This person could appoint a new prime minister, who would then have to be approved by parliament.
Earlier, news of his resignation email jubilantly sparked Colombo’s shopping district, where protesters gathered in front of the presidential secretariat, challenging the citywide curfew.
Crowds lit firecrackers, shouted slogans and danced ecstatically at the “Drop Go Gama” protest site, mockingly christened by the name of Lord Rajapaksa.
“The whole country is celebrating it today,” said Damitha Abeyrathne, an activist. “It’s a big win.”
The crowd lit firecrackers, shouted slogans and danced in ecstasy after the news broke on Thursday night. (AP: Adnan Abidi)
“We never thought we would free this country from them,” he added, referring to the Rajapaksa family who dominated the South Asian country’s politics for two decades.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa submitted his resignation by email. (Reuters: Andy Buchanan / File)
Rajapaksa filed his resignation by email on Thursday afternoon, but it would only become official once the document had been legally verified, a spokesman said earlier.
The decision of Mr. Rajapaksa on Wednesday made his ally Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the incumbent president, sparked more protests, with protesters storming parliament and the prime minister’s office, demanding that he also resign.
One protester was killed this week in clashes with police and dozens more were injured.
Protesters blame the Rajapaksa family and their allies for rampant inflation, scarcity of basic goods and corruption. (Reuters: Adnan Abidi)
Deputy Terai Cabella Soria said now political leaders must work to stabilize the country.
“We have to realize that there was a revolution, so we have to be thankful that, you know, not too many people died, but it can still deteriorate,” he said.
“Therefore, it is the responsibility of parliament to understand the feelings of the people and then bring legislative changes … like a new constitution, and go to elections.”
Protests against the economic crisis have been raging for months and culminated last weekend when hundreds of thousands of people took over Colombo government buildings, blaming the Rajapaksa family and their allies for inflation. rampant, scarcity of basic goods and corruption.
ABC / Cables