AFP: Outgoing Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa left the country amid protests
Outgoing Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country amid mass protests. This was announced on Tuesday, July 12, according to the France Press Agency (FPA), citing officials. TASS.
According to the interlocutors of the agency, 73-year-old Rajapaksa, his wife and bodyguard flew out of their country – they were among four passengers on board the An-32 aircraft, which headed for the Maldives.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa pledged to step down on Wednesday, July 13. The speaker of parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, will become the interim head of state.
Protests in Sri Lanka began in April amid an unprecedented financial and economic crisis that paralyzed the country’s economy. This week, demonstrators stormed the presidential palace and residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, setting the last building on fire.
The island state is experiencing a shortage of foreign currency, fuel, petroleum products, fertilizers, food, and medicines. Wickramasinghe noted that it would be possible to completely overcome the crisis no earlier than in three years.
#outgoing #President #Sri #Lanka #left #country