The next President of Sri Lanka will be elected on July 20th, according to an announcement made on Monday by Minister of Urban Development and Housing Prasanna Ranatunga.
If President Gotabaya Rajapaksa steps down on July 13, according to Ranatunga, the party leaders would choose a new president on July 20, according to NewsWire. The following events will take place if the President resigns on 13th July as decided at the party leaders’ meeting- Parliament will be convened on July 15; Nominations for the post of President will be accepted on July 19 and the new President will be elected on July 20.
After thousands of protesters barged into the President’s House in Fort on Saturday, the development happened. The stunning images were captured at the PM’s official mansion, where people could be seen playing carrom board, dozing off on the sofa, enjoying the park, and cooking supper.
In the midst of the continuous demonstrations, even Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe announced his resignation from his positions. The demonstrators who have taken over the homes of the President and Prime Minister, however, have stated that they would remain there until they give up their positions.
The worsening economic situation in the country has led to increasing tensions and over the last few weeks, there were reports of several confrontations between individuals and members of the police force and the armed forces at fuel stations where thousands of desperate members of the public have queued for hours and sometimes days.
Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948, which comes on the heels of successive waves of COVID-19, threatening to undo years of development progress.
Earlier, on Saturday, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced in a press conference that the President will resign from his post on July 13.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa officially informed PM Wickremesinghe that he is resigning from his post.
Meanwhile, former Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya called the 9th of July, the day when the demonstration started, a “public day.”
