July 20 is the date to elect Sri Lanka's new president
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena reveals that the parliament will vote to elect a new president on July 20.
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Sri Lanka's parliament to elect a new president on July 20
Sri Lanka's parliament will reconvene on July 15 and a new president will be elected on July 20, the parliamentary speaker said on Monday, as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa plans to resign on Wednesday amid a devastating economic crisis.
"Nominations for the next president will be presented to parliament on 19 July. On 20 July parliament will vote to elect a new president," Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said in a statement.
"During the party leaders' meeting held today, it was agreed that this was essential to ensure a new all-party government is in place in accordance with the Constitution and to take forward essential services."
Yesterday, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced to his PMs that he is intending to resign next Wednesday.
The protesters who ousted the president from his palace intend to continue to occupy the premises until he resigns next week, as he promised.
Saturday's events were the culmination of relentless protests that took place in recent months over the country's food, medicine, and energy shortages, for which citizens blame much of the incompetence and corruption on the Rajapaksa clique and his brothers who remained in power for more than fifteen years.
In this formerly middle-income country, three-quarters of the population are now reducing their diet, according to the United Nations, which warned on Sunday of a risk of a serious humanitarian crisis.
