Colombo: Sri Lankan Parliament Will elect a new president to succeed Gotabaya Rajapakse Speaker on July 20 Mahindra Yapa Abhaywardene announced on Monday. This decision was taken during an important meeting of all party leaders.
President Rajapaksa has yet to formally resign, however, he informed the Speaker on Saturday that he would step down on July 13. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe He also said that he would step down after the formation of the new government.
Speaker Abhaywardhan said that after Rajapaksa’s resignation is received on Wednesday, Parliament will convene on July 15 to announce the vacancies and accept the nomination again on July 19.
He said parliamentary voting would be held on July 20 to elect a new president.
Rajapaksa on Saturday agreed to bow to requests for resignations of party leaders following a popular revolt.
Under the Constitution of Sri Lanka, if both the President and the Prime Minister resign, the Speaker will serve as the Acting President for a maximum period of 30 days.
Parliament will elect a new Speaker from among its members within 30 days, who will hold office for the remaining two years of President Gotabaya’s current term.
President Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister in May, succeeding his elder brother. Mahinda Rajapakse He was forced to resign amid mounting pressure on the government over the mismanagement of the economy.
The cash-strapped island nation was in turmoil on Saturday when protesters ransacked Rajapaksa’s official residence in Colombo. Nearly one lakh protesters gathered outside the President’s official residence demanding Rajapaksa’s resignation.
Videos circulated on Sri Lankan television and social media showed protesters breaking a security cordon set up by police to enter Rashtrapati Bhavan – Rajapaksa’s office and residence in the commercial capital Colombo.
Protesters did not spare Prime Minister Wickremesinghe despite his offer to resign and set fire to his private residence in an upscale area of the capital.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is in the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials.
Thousands have taken to the streets in recent months calling on the country’s leaders to resign over allegations of economic mismanagement.
The country, with an acute foreign exchange crisis that resulted in foreign debt defaults, announced in April that it would suspend foreign debt repayments of about USD 7 billion for the year, out of about USD 25 billion by 2026. Used to be. Sri Lanka’s total external debt is USD 51 billion.
President Rajapaksa has yet to formally resign, however, he informed the Speaker on Saturday that he would step down on July 13. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe He also said that he would step down after the formation of the new government.
Speaker Abhaywardhan said that after Rajapaksa’s resignation is received on Wednesday, Parliament will convene on July 15 to announce the vacancies and accept the nomination again on July 19.
He said parliamentary voting would be held on July 20 to elect a new president.
Rajapaksa on Saturday agreed to bow to requests for resignations of party leaders following a popular revolt.
Under the Constitution of Sri Lanka, if both the President and the Prime Minister resign, the Speaker will serve as the Acting President for a maximum period of 30 days.
Parliament will elect a new Speaker from among its members within 30 days, who will hold office for the remaining two years of President Gotabaya’s current term.
President Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister in May, succeeding his elder brother. Mahinda Rajapakse He was forced to resign amid mounting pressure on the government over the mismanagement of the economy.
The cash-strapped island nation was in turmoil on Saturday when protesters ransacked Rajapaksa’s official residence in Colombo. Nearly one lakh protesters gathered outside the President’s official residence demanding Rajapaksa’s resignation.
Videos circulated on Sri Lankan television and social media showed protesters breaking a security cordon set up by police to enter Rashtrapati Bhavan – Rajapaksa’s office and residence in the commercial capital Colombo.
Protesters did not spare Prime Minister Wickremesinghe despite his offer to resign and set fire to his private residence in an upscale area of the capital.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is in the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials.
Thousands have taken to the streets in recent months calling on the country’s leaders to resign over allegations of economic mismanagement.
The country, with an acute foreign exchange crisis that resulted in foreign debt defaults, announced in April that it would suspend foreign debt repayments of about USD 7 billion for the year, out of about USD 25 billion by 2026. Used to be. Sri Lanka’s total external debt is USD 51 billion.