In the early hours of Wednesday, as protests over the catastrophic economic situation got louder, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is expected to tender his resignation today, left the country and landed in the Maldives. For months, imports of necessities like fuel, food, and medications were halted by the political instability brought on by a severe foreign currency shortage.
Rajapaksa left his home earlier this week to move to a safe place as protesters surrounded his official residence in Colombo. The protest’s leaders had stated that they would occupy both the president’s and the prime minister’s homes until they permanently left the government.
Along with his wife and bodyguard, the president of Sri Lanka, who has been hiding out since protesters overran his official residence in Colombo, boarded a military plane and left the nation. At Male’s Velana airport, he was met by representatives of the Maldives government and brought to an undisclosed location. Rajapaksa is exempt from arrest because he is the president, therefore he is free to leave the nation if he so chooses to avoid being jailed after resigning.
To allow for a “peaceful succession of power,” Rajapaksa had vowed that he would step down on Wednesday. Despite the president having departed the country, the Speaker has not yet received a letter of resignation.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would take over as president in the event of his resignation until parliament chose a member of parliament to complete the remaining two years of his tenure, which expires in November 2024.
