According to Associated Press 15 report, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was officially sworn in as the interim president until the parliament elects a new president.
Report screenshot
According to reports, Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Abewardena announced at a press conference on the 15th that Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa had arrived in Singapore on the 14th.
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Rajapaksa had been allowed to enter the country for a "private visit", adding: "Rajapaksa did not ask for asylum and was not granted any asylum."
Abeywardena said that Rajapaksa After arriving in Singapore, Paksa formally announced his resignation via email. He has received resignation letter from the president, and his resignation will take effect from the 14th.
According to Sri Lanka's constitution, after the president resigns, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe will become the interim president until parliament elects a successor.
The Associated Press stated that the Sri Lankan Parliament will accept presidential candidate nominations until the 19th, and voting for the presidential election will be held on the 20th. Speaker Sri Lanka hopes to elect a new leader within a week.
Wickremesinghe information map. Source: Reuters
Wickramasinghe was born in 1949 and has served as the leader of Sri Lanka’s National Unity Party (UNP) since 1994. In May 2022, Wickremesinghe was appointed Prime Minister by President Rajapaksa and concurrently served as Sri Lanka's Minister of Finance. This was his fourth term as Prime Minister.
On July 9, Wickremesinghe's mansion was burned down in large-scale anti-government protests, and he announced his willingness to resign after the new government is established.
13, after Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa left the country, Reuters quoted the Sri Lankan Speaker’s Office as saying that Rajapaksa had informed the Speaker that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had been appointed as the interim president of Sri Lanka.
Reuters stated that core members of Sri Lanka’s ruling party supported the nomination of Wickramasinghe as the presidential candidate by an “overwhelming majority”, while protesters had objections to his serving as interim president and believed that he would also serve as is responsible for the economic crisis.
India Asia International News Service (IANS) previously reported that as of now, the two confirmed presidential candidates are Wickremesinghe and opposition leader Sajit Premadasa.
Premadasa, who lost the presidential election in 2019, said on the 11th that he is expected to be nominated for president and is ready to return to the country to form a new government and revive the country's economy. The United National Forces led by him is one of the main opposition parties in the Sri Lankan parliament. In the August 2020 parliamentary election, the United National Forces won 54 of the 225 seats.
Premadasa data map. Source: Sri Lanka Daily News
Regarding the choice of prime minister, Wickremesinghe’s media team issued a statement on the 13th, saying, “Prime Minister and Interim President Wickremesinghe has informed Speaker Abewardena to nominate a A prime minister candidate acceptable to both the government and the opposition parties. "
The Associated Press stated that after Rajapaksa officially announced his resignation on the 14th, the protesters who occupied the government building also retreated that day, and the Sri Lankan capital Colombo restored "fragile calm. ”, the Sri Lankan military warned that the country is still a “powder keg”.
(original title: Sri Lanka's interim president takes office)
Source: Chang'an Street Governor Author Liu Xiaoyan
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