Sri Lanka economic crisis: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign on July 13 — Speaker

NEW DELHI

After protesters surrounded Rajapaksa's official residence and demanded his resignation, the Speaker of the House, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, announced that Rajapaksa would step down on Wednesday, July 13. In a statement sent to the media on Saturday, July 9, Abeywardena asked the public to be calm in a statement and gave state officials advice on how to ensure that daily life runs smoothly.

The Speaker said that he had notified Rajapaksa of the party leaders' earlier-in-the-evening resolve to remove the president and prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, from office. In order to facilitate a smooth transition, the president indicated his agreement with the choice and announced he would step down on Wednesday.

Speaker Abeywardena urged restraint while pointing out that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's private mansion in Colombo had been set on fire by a group of people.

Abeywardena pleaded with everyone to stop engaging in these behaviours and go back to their homes.

Watch | Public anger over economic crisis: Sri Lankan PM's private house set on fire

Video: Protesters attack Sri Lanka prime minister's house, set it on fire — Police

Earlier today, Sri Lanka’s prime minister agreed to resign after party leaders in Parliament demanded both he and the embattled president step down on the day protesters stormed the president’s residence and office in a fury over a worsening economic crisis.

Also read | Sri Lanka economic crisis: PM Ranil Wickremesinghe says he is willing to resign

When all parties have reached an agreement on a new government, the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, said in a voice statement that he will step down.

Also read | Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees as angry mob storms presidential palace

“Today in this country we have a fuel crisis, a food shortage, we have the head of the World Food Program coming here and we have several matters to discuss with the IMF. Therefore, if this government leaves there should be another government,” he said.

His decision followed the largest rally to ever sweep Sri Lanka, in which tens of thousands of protesters burst through barriers and stormed into President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's home and neighbouring office to express their rage against a figure they consider accountable for the country's darkest crisis.

(With inputs from agencies)

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