Sri Lanka Crisis: New Prez To Be Elected on 20 July; PM Decries Attack on House

The new leader will succeed Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is set to hand in his resignation on 13 July.

Sri Lanka erupted in protests on Saturday, 9 July, as thousands of protesters breached police barricades and stormed into the residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@afidelf)

Two days after Sri Lanka witnessed historic anti-government protests, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced on Monday, 11 July that a presidential re-election will be held on 20 July.

The new leader will succeed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is set to hand in his resignation on 13 July.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in a special televised statement, decried the attack on his residence during the mass demonstration.

He stated that only people with a "Hitler-like mindset" torch buildings.

A sea of protesters had stormed into the president's house on Saturday and set fire to the PM's residence, voicing their protest against the administration. The president subsequently agreed to resign from his post.

Wickremesinghe also said that he will step down after a new government is formed.

Parliament To Convene on 15 July

Following Rajapaksa's formal departure from office, the Parliament will convene on 15 July to announce the vacancy and will reconvene on 19 July to accept the nominations for the post, Speaker Abeywardena added.

The decision to hold the re-election was taken during a crucial all-party meeting of leaders held earlier on Monday.

What the Sri Lanka PM Said

Breaking his silence on the protests, Wickremesinghe said, "My only house was set on fire. I had 2,500 books in my library, my only asset. There were over 200-year-old valuable paintings. All of them destroyed."

He added that had accepted the post of prime minister while the economy was in disarray.

“The cost of living was high, no fuel, there was a foreign exchange crisis. People were losing jobs. I saw the suffering of the people," he said.

Saying that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has noted that the economy will require four more years to stabilize, he added, “This cannot be done in 1-2 days, at least a year would be needed to take the first corrective steps."

What Happens After President, PM Resign?

As per the Sri Lankan Constitution, if both the president and prime minister of the country resign, the speaker will serve as acting president for a maximum of 30 days.

The Parliament will elect a new president within 30 days, among one of its members, who will hold the office for the remaining two years of the current term of President Rajapaksa.

President Rajapaksa had appointed Wickremesinghe as prime minister in May after his elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was forced to resign amidst growing pressure on the government over the mismanagement of the economy.

The cash-starved island nation witnessed a tumultuous day on Saturday when protesters broke into Rajapaksa's official residence in Colombo. About 100,000 protesters had gathered outside the president's official residence, demanding Rajapaksa's resignation.

(With inputs from PTI.)