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Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa to resign today? What we know so far
Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka in the early hours today, in what appears to be a prelude to his resignation in the aftermath of widespread protests against the island nation's worst-ever economic crisis.
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is due to offer his resignation today, flew out of the country and landed in Maldives in the wee hours of Wednesday as protests grew louder over the devastating economic crisis. The political chaos, triggered by a severe shortage of foreign currency, stalled imports of essentials such as fuel, food and medicines for months.
Earlier this week, Rajapaksa had fled his residence to shift to a safe location as demonstrators stormed his official residence in Colombo. Leaders of the protest had said that they would occupy the residence of both the president and the prime minister, until they quit the government for once and for all.
Fleeing Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan president, who has been in hiding ever since protestors stormed his official residence in Colombo, took a military plane and fled the country along with his wife and bodyguard. He was received by Maldives government officials at the Velana airport in Male and taken to an undisclosed location.
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As the president, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest, meaning, he can leave the country if he wished to, in order to avoid being detained after stepping down.
In a statement, the Sri Lankan Air Force said that Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards had received full approval by the authorities to fly to Maldives.
“Sri Lankan President, the first lady along with 2 bodyguards were subjected to full approval by Ministry of Defense for immigration, customs and other laws to fly to Maldives. Air Force aircraft was provided to them in early morning of July 13,” said Sri Lankan Air Force media director.
A suitcase full of documents was reportedly left behind at the stately mansion along with 17.85 million Sri Lankan rupees (about $50,000) in cash, now in the custody of a Colombo court.
Resignation
Rajapaksa had promised that he would resign on Wednesday to clear the way for a "peaceful transition of power". The Speaker has not received a resignation letter yet, even as the president left the nation.
If he steps down, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will automatically become acting president until parliament elects an MP to serve out the presidential term, which ends in November 2024.
However, Wickremesinghe too has announced his willingness to step down if consensus is reached on forming a unity government.
If Rajapaksa does step down on Wednesday, the vote would take place on July 20, the parliamentary speaker said. The succession process to announce a new government has to be completed in 30 days.
