Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe took office as the interim president as the popular uprising continued. After Gotabaya Rajapaksa tendered his resignation, Ranil took over the interim charge. Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya presided over the swearing-in ceremony. Ranil will remain in office until the parliament elects a new president.
Last night, Gotabaya sent his resignation letter to Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena via e-mail from Singapore. This morning the Speaker officially announced that he had accepted the resignation. It is known that Parliament will meet soon to elect a new president. After accepting the nomination, the President will be elected by voting next Wednesday.
Gotabaya and his wife arrived in the Maldives in a military plane on Wednesday during the popular uprising that broke out after the economic collapse. Two bodyguards were also with him. He entered Singapore on a flight to Saudi Arabia from Maldives at 4 pm on Wednesday.
Sources in Singapore have confirmed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa has arrived in the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore has rejected reports that the Sri Lankan President is in the country for a personal visit and is giving him asylum. The ministry clarified that Gotabaya did not seek asylum in the country and Singapore does not normally accept such requests.
Summary: PM Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as interim President of Sri Lanka