Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned from office on Thursday, bending to pressure from months of protests that have nearly dismantled the country’s government.
Rajapaksa’s resignation comes one day after he fled the country amid demonstrations outside his office earlier this week, prompting the country’s prime minister to declare a nationwide state of emergency. His statement of resignation was given to the country’s government late Thursday, with an announcement expected on Friday after the letter is authenticated.
Rajapaksa initially fled to Male, Maldives, with his wife and two bodyguards on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press, ending a family dynasty that has ruled the country for almost two decades. In his departure, Rajapaksa appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the acting president in the interim.
Wickremesinghe was appointed as prime minister in May as the president hoped to revive the country’s collapsed economy and ease tensions. Sri Lanka’s economy has experienced months of turmoil, and the country has been largely relying on aid from outside countries and experiencing severe shortages of food, fuel, and other necessities.
Wickremesinghe previously vowed to resign, although he did not offer a timeline, signaling he would wait for the country’s political parties to agree on a new government before doing so.
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