Sri Lanka crisis: Protestors seek Wickremesinghe’s resignation ahead of prez polls

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A protest seeking the resignation of acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe started on Tuesday in Colombo amid the nation’s continued economic turmoil.

“Recently the President of the country was forced to resign by the people. And when he resigned, he made a decision to appoint the prime minister he subsequently appointed as the president. The acting president doesn’t have the people’s mandate. So there is a move by the acting president to become the permanent president,” one of the protestors said. “We are agitating and opposing that position and will protest until the acting president resigns,” the protestor added.

The protesters claimed that Ranil Wickremesinghe did not get a legitimate popular vote.

“Since he was appointed by the regime. That corrupt regime is supporting Wickremesinghe. So we are forcing him to leave,” said the protestors.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned from the post of president last week following massive protests.

In the wake of his resignation, Speaker of the House Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena declared that Wickremesinghe, the prime minister at the time, had been named interim president. On July 20, lawmakers will have the opportunity to elect the next president.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the head of the National People’s Power (NPP), MP Dullas Alahapperuma, and Ranil Wickremesinghe, the acting president of Sri Lanka, were all nominated for the position of president on Tuesday.

On Wednesday morning, parliamentarians will convene to choose Sri Lanka’s new president.

Earlier on Tuesday, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, who had already declared his intention to run for president, made the announcement that he would withdraw from consideration.

He said that Alahapperuma will receive support from his party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in the election for Sri Lanka’s future president.