Sri Lanka’s parliament has accepted the resignation of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, bringing to an end nearly two decades of family control.
Mr. Rajapaksa resigned after fleeing to Singapore in the face of widespread economic mismanagement demonstrations.
Sri Lanka is engulfed in economic upheaval due to a severe lack of food, fuel, and other basic commodities.
Mr. Rajapaksa’s resignation paves the path for a new president to be elected.
Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, the speaker of Sri Lanka’s parliament, announced on Friday that he had accepted Mr. Rajapaksa’s resignation, which he had received late on Thursday.
He has requested that parliament meet on Saturday to begin the process of electing a new leader.
PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was appointed acting president by Mr. Rajapaksa before he fled the country, will be sworn in as interim president on Friday evening.
Parliament has up to a month to elect a new leader; Mr. Wickremesinghe could be a candidate.
Mr. Rajapaksa escaped from the Maldives to Singapore on Thursday as massive protests erupted in Sri Lanka. It is thought that he desired to leave Sri Lanka before resigning to avoid incarceration under the new administration.
After traveling to the Maldives on Tuesday night, the embattled leader arrived in Singapore early Thursday morning. According to reports, he is joined by his wife and two bodyguards.
The foreign ministry of Singapore stated that Mr. Rajapaksa had not requested nor been granted refuge. “Generally, Singapore does not accept asylum requests,” the report continued.
Joyousness in the streets
Thursday, in the capital city of Colombo, demonstrators celebrated the news of the president’s resignation by dancing.
“We are overjoyed, but also overjoyed to be able to take a break and return to our life,” Viraga Perera said.
However, after Mr. Wickremesinghe imposed a new round of curfews on Thursday to quell protests, the numbers appeared smaller than previously.
The streets of Colombo became more tranquil when anti-government protesters vacated several of the government facilities they had occupied.
“With immediate effect, we will depart peacefully from the presidential palace, the presidential secretariat, and the prime minister’s office, but we will continue our struggle,” said a protester spokesperson.
During Wednesday’s protests, which took place in and around Colombo’s major monuments, including the prime minister’s office, 85 people were hurt.
On Saturday, protesters broke into the presidential palace and set fire to the private residence of the prime minister.
The police sprayed tear gas at demonstrators attempting to smash down the gates of the prime minister’s office in Colombo before forcibly entering the building. They later went to parliament but were denied entry.
Wednesday witnessed some of the largest protests since the protests began in April.
Presentational grey line
A resignation that was delayed for days.
The resignation letter that Sri Lankans have been awaiting since the ousting of Gotabaya Rajapaksa by the people has finally arrived.
The letter serves multiple purposes. First, the legitimacy of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s position as interim president is established. In the event of a president’s resignation, Sri Lanka’s constitution designates the prime minister as interim leader.
Second, it removes hurdles for the convening of a presidential election in parliament. On 15 July, members of Congress were scheduled to begin this procedure, with a vote scheduled for the following week. This was delayed by the absence of a resignation letter, but now that it has arrived, the Speaker can resume the legislature.
Mr. Wickremesinghe and Sajith Premadasa, the opposition leader, are likely to be the two leading candidates. The bulk of the ruling party’s members is likely to support Mr. Wickremesinghe, who has close ties to the Rajapaksas. Whether or not the people of Sri Lanka would accept this is another question. The resignation of the prime minister and Mr. Rajapaksa has been a key demand of protestors.
Thirdly, as a result of his resignation, Gotabaya Rajapaksa no longer enjoys legal immunity as head of state, and his situation has become more vulnerable as he seeks refuge in a secure country.
