Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down
Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has agreed to step down next week after protesters stormed the presidential palace and set fire to the Prime Minister’s home to vent their anger over a worsening economic crisis.
Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said in a televised statement yesterday that Rajapaksa has agreed to resign on July 13.
“The decision to step down on July 13 was taken to ensure a peaceful handover of power,” Abeywardena said.
“I, therefore, request the public to respect the law and maintain peace.”
This came after Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Prime Minister announced his own impending resignation but said he would not step down until a new government is formed.
“Today in this country we have a fuel crisis, a food shortage, we have the head of the World Food Programme coming here and we have several matters to discuss with the IMF,” Wickremesinghe said. “Therefore, if this government leaves, there should be another government.”
Wickremesinghe said he suggested to the president to have an all-party government, but did not say anything about Rajapaksa’s whereabouts.
A Facebook live stream from inside the president’s house showed hundreds of protesters packing into rooms and corridors, shouting slogans against the beleaguered 73-year-old leader.
Footage of protesters standing and some bathing in the swimming pool inside the president’s home widely circulated on social media.
