Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday emailed his resignation letter to the parliament speaker after he fled to Singapore following mass protests over his country’s economic meltdown.
According to two sources, Rajapaksa emailed a letter of resignation to the speaker of the country’s parliament late Thursday.
It was unclear whether the letter, which was sent shortly after Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore, would be accepted in email form, according to the sources.
Rajapaksa arrived on a private visit and did not apply for or receive asylum there, Singapore’s foreign ministry said.
More protests followed his decision on Wednesday to name his ally, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, as acting president. Protesters stormed parliament and the premier’s office, demanding that he resign as well.
The economic crisis has been the subject of months-long protests, which culminated last weekend when hundreds of thousands of people occupied government buildings in Colombo and demanded an end to corruption, runaway inflation, and shortages of essential goods.
Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards fled the country on an air force plane early on Wednesday and headed to the Maldives.
The lack of a formal resignation letter, however, raised concerns about the intentions of an apparent self-exiled leader who appointed the prime minister as acting president after leaving his island nation.
Speaker Abeywardena said Thursday that the Sri Lankan parliament will not reconvene until Rajapaksa formally submits his resignation letter.
Previously, parliament was supposed to start the process of choosing a new president on Saturday, with a vote on a new leader scheduled for July 20.https://www.tvcnews.tv/2022/07/shettimas-emergence-a-first-bold-step-by-tinubu-says-oshiomhole/
That timetable has now been put on hold until Gotabaya formally resigns.
Many demonstrators have vowed to continue marching until both men step down.
