July 13, 2022 12:09
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been appointed acting president after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country, the lower house speaker said Wednesday, as thousands of protesters called for the two men to step down.
“Due to his absence from the country, President Rajapaksa informed me that he has appointed the Prime Minister as Acting President as stipulated in the constitution,” Mahidna Abiwardana said in a brief televised speech.
Sri Lankan police fired tear gas on Wednesday to disperse thousands of protesters gathered in front of the prime minister’s office, AFP reporters at the scene said.
Protesters are calling for Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down, coinciding with the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who promised to submit it before leaving the country on Tuesday and fleeing to the Maldives.
“Go home Ranil! Go home, Gotha!” the demonstrators chanted.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who, if Rajapaksa resigns, will automatically take over as acting president, has vowed to step down if a national unity government is formed.
The Sri Lankan government also declared a state of public emergency on Wednesday to contain the tense situation in the country.
“Since the president has left the country, a state of emergency has been declared to deal with the situation in the country,” Prime Minister Dinok Columbag’s spokesman told AFP.
Demonstrators stormed the official residence of the president on Saturday, forcing him to flee to a military base and then to the Maldives on Wednesday on a military plane. Officials said he promised to resign on Wednesday.
Source: AFP
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