President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled his official residence in the capital Colombo on Saturday before angry protesters stormed the presidential compound, has agreed to step down next week as the country sees protests, Parliament Speaker Mahinda Abhiwardana said. It is widespread against economic collapse.
The president has said he will step down on July 13 to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, according to a televised statement to Abhiordana.
Earlier, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickram Singh agreed to resign as protesters stormed the president’s residence and office.
The prime minister’s spokesman, Denok Kolambagh, said Vikar Masinghe had told party leaders that he would resign when all parties agreed to form a new government.
Rauf Hakim, an opposition representative of the government, wrote in a tweet that the leaders of the political parties in the parliament gathered after the attack on the president’s residence and decided to resign from the president and the prime minister.
He added: It was unanimously agreed that if the current president resigns, the speaker of the parliament will take over the power as the president temporarily and he will work in cooperation with the interim government.
Sri Lanka’s prime minister has admitted his country is bankrupt, as millions struggle to get food and other vital services.
In an interview with parliamentarians, the Sri Lankan official acknowledged the difficulty of ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund because the country is negotiating as a bankrupt country and not as a developing country.
Ranil Vikram Singh said that his country of 22 million people must prepare for more difficult and complex conditions than in the past.
Sri Lanka is experiencing its worst economic crisis in seven decades after cash reserves dwindled to minimal levels, as the country is no longer able to import essential goods such as fuel, food and medicine.
Source: Lebanon Debate
