Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has emailed his resignation after fleeing Singapore during anti-government protests in the country. He is thought to have wanted to leave Sri Lanka before resigning in order to be arrested by the new administration The prices of food, fuel and basic necessities have skyrocketed in the country. Protesters in the capital Colombo are happy with the news of the president’s resignation. “We are happy but now in this break we can go back to our lives,” Verega Pereira told the BBC. We are tired but this moment is a big victory for us.

 

Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore from the Maldives on Thursday. He is reportedly accompanied by his wife and two bodyguards. Singapore’s foreign ministry says Rajapaksa has not applied for political asylum nor has he been granted political asylum. “Singapore generally does not accept asylum.” Acting President Rani Vikrama Singh cannot become interim president until he is sworn in. After that they have to get the support of the parliament in 30 days. If that doesn’t happen, members will elect a new president. The speaker said that he would announce it on Friday after fulfilling all the legal requirements. Some people are worried about the current situation. Suzanne Fernando, one of the protesters, said: “First they fooled us into thinking they were leaving. Now the same thing is happening again. He has received a letter of resignation but the Speaker will give it legal form. I don’t know what they are going to legalize. This is insane, but the number of protesters has dwindled. Vikram Singh again imposed curfew on Thursday to disperse the protesters.

 

The streets of Colombo are calm after anti-government protesters left government buildings. A spokesman for the protesters said: “We are leaving the presidential palace, the president’s secretariat and the prime minister’s office peacefully. But our struggle will continue. ”One person was killed and 84 were injured in Wednesday’s protests. On that day, protesters in Colombo seized key buildings, including the Prime Minister’s Office.

President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa resigns after fleeing Sri Lanka

What Sri Lankan protesters have been waiting for has happened: President Gotabaya has resigned. The first is that Vikrama Singh has got the legal legitimacy to be acting president. According to the Sri Lankan constitution, the prime minister can become the caretaker president after the resignation of the president. Members will begin the process on July 15 and voting has been promised in a week. The process was halted due to non-resignation. But now the Speaker will be able to convene a session of Parliament. Apart from Vikrama Singh, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadisa is also among the candidates. But given the ruling party’s majority, Vikram Singh is more likely to win. It is believed that he has good relations with the Rajapaksa family. Will the people of Sri Lanka accept him? This debate is later. Apart from the resignation of the President, the protesters are also demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister.

“If there is a stable government, the country may close.”

Sri Lanka’s central bank governor Nandalal Veerasange has warned that the country could be “shut down” if a stable government is not formed soon. He told the BBC’s Newsnight There is a lot of ‘uncertainty’ about whether foreign exchange can be found or not. Many people blame the Rajapaksa government for the crisis. Verasanghe, who took over as central bank governor only in April, said he did not see “a way forward” in providing essentials without a stable government. So far, we have been able to finance at least three consignments of diesel and one or two consignments of petrol, but beyond that, there is a great deal of uncertainty as to whether we will be able to provide foreign exchange. If that doesn’t happen, the whole country will be shut down. So I need a prime minister, a president, a cabinet that can make decisions. Without it, everyone will face more difficulties. ”Verasanghe is in talks with the IMF on a bailout package. “We hope that our negotiations for a loan will make good progress. But the timing of this process depends on how soon there will be a stable administration, ”he said. The central bank governor himself is seen as a possible new president. But he seemed to deny it. “I have no interest in running for office.”