Sri Lanka Crisis HIGHLIGHTS | Gotabaya To Step Down As President On July 13: Report
Anti-government protesters on Saturday set fire to PM Wickremesinghe's private residence in the heart of Colombo after his security attacked them.
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Background
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday offered to resign and form an all-party government, hours after thousands of protesters stormed the official residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who appears to have gone underground in the face of massive public anger over an unprecedented economic crisis that has brought Sri Lanka to its knees.
In remarkable scenes, hinting at a society in a meltdown, anti-government protesters were seen occupying a bedroom, sitting on a four poster bed, helping themselves to food in the kitchen and splashing in a swimming pool in Gotabaya's residence.
His whereabouts were unknown and it is believed the the 73-year-old leader left the house before the massive mob arrived.
Meanwhile, anti-government protesters on Saturday set fire to PM Wickremesinghe's private residence in the heart of Colombo after his security attacked them.
The protesters, who marched to Colombo on Saturday morning demanding resignation of President Gotobaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, stormed the President's official residence, braving police, and later occupied the Prime Minister's official resident, the Temple Trees.
Later, the protesters marched to Wickremesinghe's private residence in Colombo 7 and surrounded it, demanding that he step down. However, the police's elite Special Task Force (STF) attacked the protesters and six journalists from a private television station.
"Protesters have broken into the private residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and have set it on fire," the PM's office announced.
At the party leaders meeting summoned by the Speaker to solve the current crisis, Wickremesinghe had refused to resign from his post. Later he announced that he would resign once an all-party government is formed and a political group proved its majority in the parliament.
Sri Lankan Prz Gotabaya Rajapaksa To Resign On July 13, Says Parliament Speaker
Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would resign on July 13, Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said on Saturday night.
President Rajapaksa informed the speaker about this decision after Abeywardena wrote to him asking for his resignation following the all-party leaders meeting held Saturday evening. Abeywardena wrote to Rajapaksa on the decisions made at the meeting.
Sri Lankan Prez To Resign On July 13: Report
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is likely to resign on July 13, reported Lanka's NewsWire citing Speaker.
Speaker To Take Over As SL Prez Until All-Party Govt Is Formed
To end the current political crisis in Sri Lanka based on the decision taken by the leaders of the majority parties, the Speaker of the Parliament is set to ask President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down from their posts to make way for an all-party government.
The party leaders who met on Saturday evening decided to appoint Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena as the temporary President until an all-party government is formed.
However, Wickremesinghe has not agreed to step down immediately, as he told the media that he would resign once the all-party government is formed and majority in the Parliament is proved by any group which wants to take over.
Lankan Parliament Speaker Writes To Prez Rajapaksa Calling For His Resignation
Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Saturday asked President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to resign immediately to make way for an all-party government after the country witnessed its biggest protest yet amid an unprecedented economic crisis.
Abeywardena in a letter to Rajapaksa, whose whereabouts are still not known, informed him about the outcome of the party leaders’ meeting he had convened this evening after which Wickremesinghe offered to resign and form an all-party government.
WATCH | Protestors Storm Premises Of Presidential Palace
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