Acting Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe declares state of emergency

New Delhi: Acting Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe in a government notification late on Sunday declared state of emergency in the country with immediate effect, ahead of the July 20 election for the post of the president.

Acting Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe declares a State Of Emergency in the country. pic.twitter.com/ycDwJupUa3

— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2022

"It is expedient, so to do, in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community," the notification stated.

Sri Lanka’s ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country after protests broke out against his government, said he took "all possible steps" to avert the economic crisis.

Rajapaksa flew to the Maldives and then Singapore after hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters came out onto the streets of Colombo a week ago and occupied his official residence and offices. His resignation was accepted by parliament on Friday.

Sri Lanka's parliament met on Saturday to begin the process of electing a new president.

Wickremesinghe, an ally of Rajapaksa, is one of the top contenders to take on the presidency full-time but protesters also want him gone, leading to the prospect of further unrest should he be elected.

With inputs from agencies

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