Sri Lanka’s parliamentary speaker has said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation had been accepted after the leader fled the country earlier this week.
“Gotabaya has legally resigned” with effect from Thursday, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana told reporters on Friday, after Rajapaksa notified the speaker from Singapore he was stepping down.
“From this point, we will move to constitutionally appoint a new president,” the speaker Abeywardena added.
He expects to compete the process within seven days.
Rajapaksa fled the country Wednesday amid mounting protests for him to resign over an economic crisis.
