Forced to leave the country, plagued by major protests, Gotabaya Rajapaksa joined Singapore. He had sent his letter of resignation Thursday by email.
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The end of the presidency of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka. His resignation was formally accepted by the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka on Friday July 15, the day after the letter was sent by email announcing his desire to leave his post. He is the first head of state to step down since Sri Lanka opted for presidential rule in 1978.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his residence on Saturday, stormed by demonstrators accusing him of his mismanagement at a time when Sri Lanka is going through the most serious economic crisis in its history. He managed to get out of his country on Wednesday to go to the Maldives, where he took a plane to Singapore on Thursday.
Under the Sri Lankan Constitution, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose departure is also demanded by the protesters, would automatically become interim president until the Parliament designates a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
In the capital Colombo, placed under curfew, a small but jubilant crowd, some waving the national flag, danced and sang to express their joy in front of the secretariat of the presidency when the news of his resignation was announced. The day before, the demonstrators had put an end to the occupation of public buildings while promising to continue to put pressure on power.