Sri Lanka president, PM face massive ire, step down - all in a day: Key moments

Sri Lanka protests: The country has been witnessing massive protests ever since it's worst crisis in seven decades unfolded.

Demonstrators who had stormed the streets so far - ever since the worst economic crisis of Sri Lanka unfolded earlier this year- breached the president’s palace on Saturday in extraordinary moments that eventually compelled Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down and agree to the long-standing demand of the protesters. This was hours after Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he would quit. He took office in May.

Demonstrators protest inside the Presidential Secretariat premises, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  (REUTERS)

Here are the key moments from the unprecedented day of stir in Sri Lanka:

1. A sea of agitators was seen inside Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s palace in unprecedented visuals from the island nation of 22 million, which has been dealing with an economic crisis for a long time now.

2. At a time when the country can’t afford to purchase fuel, and people were left scrambling for essentials, demonstrators unleashed their anger inside the luxurious palace on Saturday afternoon.

3. Simultaneously, reports emerged that Gotabaya Rajapaksa had fled. He had been ignoring calls for his resignation for very long. His brother, Mahinda Rajpaksa, had quit in May.

4. Amid massive uprising on the streets, Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe called for an emergency meeting where several key decisions were taken.

5. He announced that he will step down just two months after taking charge for the sixth time. "To ensure the continuation of the Government including the safety of all citizens I accept the best recommendation of the Party Leaders today, to make way for an All-Party Government," Wickremesinghe wrote on Twitter. "To facilitate this I will resign as Prime Minister."

6. Despite the announcement, his private home was set on fire amid protesters’ fury.

7. Not too long after that came a statement that Gotabaya Rajapaksa would quit too - a long-standing demand of many of the protesters in the country.

8. “The decision to step down on 13 July was taken to ensure a peaceful handover of power,” Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said in a video statement on behalf of the president. “I therefore request the public to respect the law and maintain peace,” he said.

9. The powerful Rakpaksa brothers - blamed for the current crisis - have enjoyed political influence for very long. Mahinda Rajapaksa was said to have emerged as a hero in 2009 when his government defeated separatist rebels. His brother was defence secretary at the time.

10. However, the future is still uncertain. It’s still not clear how the country will brace with the current economic challenges.