Sri Lanka: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa intends to resign
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As tens of thousands of anti-government protesters stormed his residence, President Rajapaksa announces to his PM's office he is intending to step down on July 13
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Sri Lanka: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign next week
On his way to a military base in the northeast of the island on board a military ship, 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.
“Rajapaksa has officially informed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that he will be resigning as previously announced,” read a statement from the former prime minister’s office.
Former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe resigned on Saturday to make way for an all-party government. He told the Opposition that he was making the decision to quit as the nationwide fuel distribution is due to recommence this week, the World Food Program Director is due to visit the country this week and the Debt Sustainability report for the IMF is due to be finalized shortly.
To ensure the continuation of the Government including the safety of all citizens I accept the best recommendation of the Party Leaders today, to make way for an All-Party Government.
— Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) July 9, 2022
To facilitate this I will resign as Prime Minister.
Protesters have continued to occupy the president and prime minister’s properties, declaring them as public property. They are set on not leaving the premises until both resign.
Read more: Sri Lanka protesters vow not to quit until President, PM do
As soon as the president resigns on July 13, the parliament would then have one month to elect an all-party interim government. The Speaker of Parliament also affirmed that the legislators would designate the new President deputies within a week.
The interim government is scheduled to last between six to eight months until Sri Lanka’s circumstances improve and a parliamentary election is economically viable.
