Yet to resign, president Rajapaksa leaves Maldives heading to Singapore, Saudi Arabia next.
Mumbai: Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left Maldives for Singapore, from there he will head to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah, the Associated Press reported. He boarded a Saudi Airlines plane on Wednesday that will take him to Singapore and then to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, a Maldives government official informed.
On Wednesday when he was supposed to hand over his resignation, he fled to Maldives along with his wife and two bodyguards. His decision to step down came after the protesters stormed his presidential palace on Saturday, July 9, demanding him and prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down amid the economic turmoil in Sri Lanka.
Island Nation’s Crisis:
Over the past two weeks, the political turmoil in Sri Lanka has worsened the crisis, as the nation went bankrupt. While angry protests continue across the island nation against Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the military and police forces are using tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s exit from the island nation has deepened tensions.On the same day, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe became acting president and the house was set ablaze.
The interim President Ranil Wickremesinghe, on Wednesday, imposed a nationwide curfew until Thursday morning in Sri Lanka in the wake of intensifying protests against the government. The President said that the curfew will remain in force till 5 am on July 14.
The opposition has moved to seek a majority for its candidate to vbe the next president as economic woes continue to escalate .Amidst growing anti-government protests, Sri Lanka’s political parties have stepped up efforts to form an all-party government and subsequently elect a new President on July 20 to prevent the bankrupt nation from sliding further into anarchy.
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