COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country on Wednesday after months of protests demanding his departure culminating in protesters storming his official residence.
Colonel Nalin Herath, a spokesman for the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry, said Rajapaksa boarded an Air Force plane bound for the Maldives at around 2 a.m. local time. Three immigration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the political situation, also confirmed his departure.
The island nation is going through The worst economic crisis over its history, exacerbated by government mismanagement and mismanagement. Protest against severe shortages of food, medicine and fuel lasted for many months.
Mr. Rajapaksa went into hiding after protesters occupied his office and residence. He has told allies he will step down on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister of the country, Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Saturday suggested he would also resign, but he seems to keep going. Protesters have also demanded his resignation.
As Mr. Rajapaksa’s departure from the country has been confirmed, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, speaker of parliament, said in a phone interview that he has yet to receive the president’s letter of resignation, which will cause His presidency ended.
Mr. Rajapaksa, 73, an army officer, will be the last member of his family’s dynasty to leave the government. In May, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the prime minister and brother of the president, was forced to resign due to the protests. The finance minister, Basil Rajapaksa, another brother, and several other family members were also sacked.
Fuel shortages have affected daily life in Sri Lanka for months, with the country essentially bankrupt and without foreign currency reserves for essential imports. Food and medicine prices have skyrocketed, power cuts have become the norm, and public transport is often suspended for fuel.
The transition to a new government now puts the spotlight on a parliament that has long frustrated the island nation of 22 million, with lawmakers and political parties engaged in protracted wars and wars. confusion about positions of power. Complicating matters, the ruling party loyal to Rajapaksas still maintains a majority of seats.
The Sri Lankan constitution is clear about the right of succession. In the event of the president’s resignation, the prime minister will assume his duties on an interim basis. Procedures then move to Parliament, where lawmakers vote for a new president from mid-term to complete the term. Mr. Rajapaksa’s term of office has two years left.
However, the country’s political leaders remain unpopular and many have connections to the Rajapaksa family. Protesters were adamant that a new leader must be appointed, who had no such constraints. On Wednesday morning, as protesters processed the president’s departure, it was not yet clear if that would be enough to end months of protests.
