Sri Lankan President lands in Singapore, quits

Colombo, July 14

Sri Lanka’s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday sent his resignation letter through an email to Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena whose office is checking the legality of the document before making a formal announcement on Friday, an official said.

Editorial: Lanka in turmoil

Speaker’s media secretary Indunil Abeywardena said a resignation letter from Rajapaksa had been received through the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore.

“The Speaker wishes to inform that an official statement on this would be made tomorrow after the verification process and legal formalities,” Abeywardena said in a brief statement.

The Speaker wants to see the original signature. The original document would be brought to Colombo from Singapore in the next available flight by a diplomat, sources said. Earlier, in an unusual move, Maldivian Majlis (parliament) Speaker Mohamed Nasheed announced that Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa had resigned. With Rajapaksa’s resignation Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be the President, Colombo Gazette reported.

Wickremesinghe, who is currently the Acting President, has already told the Speaker to call on party leaders to name a new Prime Minister through consensus.

On Saturday, Rajapaksa had announced to step down on July 13 after thousands of protesters stormed his official residence, blaming him for the unprecedented economic crisis.

He, however, fled to the Maldives without resigning from his office. From the Maldives, he went to Singapore on Thursday.