Sri Lanka President Resigns Days After Fleeing Country

EDITOR’S PICK

• Ukraine War: West Must ‘Prepare For War’, Says Ex-Nato Chief As Putin Unleashes Cruise Missiles In Ukraine
• Elon Musk Stages $43bn Hostile Takeover Of Twitter
• Ukraine Crisis: Russia In Retreat As Putin Appears To Admit Defeat In Battle For Kiev

EKO HOT BLOG reports that Gotabaya Rajapaksa has resigned as president of Sri Lanka after fleeing to Singapore in the face of mass protests at home over his rule.

He is believed to have wanted to leave Sri Lanka before stepping down in order to avoid the possibility of arrest under a new administration.

The cost of food, fuel and other basic supplies has soared for Sri Lankans.

In the capital Colombo, delighted demonstrators greeted news of the president’s departure with dancing.

“We are beyond happy but also beyond relieved so we can take a break and go back to our lives,” Viraga Perera told the BBC.

“At this stage we are so exhausted because of all the flip-flopping, that we consider this moment substantial enough as a victory.”

Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore earlier on Thursday after first flying to the Maldives on Tuesday night. Reports say he is accompanied by his wife and two bodyguards.

Singapore’s foreign ministry said Rajapaksa had not asked for asylum or been granted asylum. “Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum,” it added.

FURTHER READING

• Powerful Explosions Rock Kyiv After Russian Warship Sinks
• US To Give Heavier Weapons To Ukraine As Russia Plans Next Assault
• Russian Soldiers Raping Many More Ukrainian Women, Says MP

The acting president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, does not formally become interim president until he is sworn in.

After that, Wickremesinghe – who was appointed acting president by President Rajapaksa after the latter fled – has 30 days for parliament to endorse him. If they do not, MPs need to hold a vote for a new president.

Click to watch our video of the week