Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as interim president on Friday, replacing resigning President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.who fled the country after months of protests against him, his office said.
Wickremesinghe, 73, was sworn in by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. The resignation of Rajapaksa, who fled to Singapore after passing through the Maldives at first, was confirmed this Friday by the Speaker of Parliament.
(You can read: Rajapaksa resigns from the presidency of Sri Lanka from Singapore).
The Sri Lankan Parliament will elect a new president on Wednesday, July 20, to complete the term until November 2024, according to the head of the legislature, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, on Friday.
(We recommend you read: Sri Lanka imposes a state of emergency after the escape of the president).
According to a statement from his office, Nominations may be submitted until Tuesday and deputies must vote for a new head of state on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka is experiencing the worst economic and political crisis in its history, which has caused massive protests for months. On Saturday, protesters invaded Rajapaksa’s official residence, forcing him to leave the country on Wednesday.
The serious economic crisis led Sri Lanka to default on its external debt of 51,000 million dollars, and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue agreement. But talks derailed in the political turmoil, and an IMF spokesman said on Thursday the IMF hoped the issue would be resolved before resuming talks.
(You may be interested: President of Sri Lanka arrives in Singapore from Maldives).
The island is running out of fuel, so the government has ordered the closure of non-essential offices and schools to reduce transportation.
AFP
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