Following a wave of protests in Sri Lanka's capital earlier today, the recently appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has agreed to resign.
Wickremesinghe has stated on Twitter,
To ensure the continuation of the Government including the safety of all citizens I accept the best recommendation of the Party Leaders today, to make way for an All-Party Government.
To facilitate this I will resign as Prime Minister.
— Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) July 9, 2022
Wickremesinghe has served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1993 to 1994, 2001 to 2004, 2015 to 2015, 2015 to 2018, 2018 to 2019, and from May 2022 to the present day. He has served as Prime Minister six times despite only having one seat in parliament.
Read more about his legacy here: The return of Ranil Wickremesinghe
Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has not made a public statement.
The announcement follows an emergency meeting between all party leaders convened by the Speaker of Parliament. Here the majority of leaders agreed on four key actions.
1. President and Prime Minister to resign immediately
2. Speaker to act for President for Maximum of 30 days
3. Parliament will elect an MP as President for remained term
4. Appointment of an interim all-party government and elections to be held soon.
This comes as reports have emerged that Sri Lanka's embattled president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the island as tens of thousands of protesters stormed his official residence in Colombo this morning.
Read more at newswire
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