Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lanka's interim president
Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lanka's interim president
New Delhi: Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka's interim president on Friday until the Parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned after protests against his government for mishandling the economy that bankrupted the country.
Wickremesinghe, 73, was sworn in as the acting president of Sri Lanka before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, the prime minister's office said in a statement.
Rajapaksa has resigned, Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena officially announced on Friday, two days after the embattled leader fled the country in the face of massive protests against his government for mishandling the economy that bankrupted the country.
The Speaker has urged the public to allow a peaceful environment for all lawmakers to take part in the process to elect a new leader that should finish within seven days. The Sri Lankan Parliament will meet on Saturday again.
The Speaker had received the resignation letter from Rajapaksa through the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore on Thursday night. However, he wanted to make the official announcement after the verification process and legal formalities, his media secretary Indunil Abeywardena had said.
On Saturday, Rajapaksa had announced to step down on 13 July after thousands of protesters stormed his official residence, blaming him for the unprecedented economic crisis that has brought the country to its knees. He, however, fled to the Maldives without resigning from his office. From Maldives, he went to Singapore on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Rajapaksa has been "allowed entry into Singapore on a private visit".
He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum, the spokesperson said, adding Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum.
With input from agencies
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