Sri Lanka Crisis: Parliament Meets to Announce President's Vacancy

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resignation letter was also read during this brief parliament session.

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Following the resignation of former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday, 15 July, the country's Parliament met in a brief special session on Saturday, 16 July, to announce the vacancy for the post of president.

Dhammika Dassanayake, Secretary General of Parliament, announced the vacancy during the 13-minute special session of the parliament, reported news agency PTI.

This will be the first time since 1978 that Sri Lanka will elect its next president through a secret vote by the MPs and not through a popular mandate, the report added.

Rajapaksa's resignation letter was also read during this brief session.

"I served my motherland to the best of my ability and I will continue to do so in the future," said the former president, while defending himself in his resignation letter.

He also said that he took action to protect people from the pandemic despite being constrained by the already poor economic environment that prevailed at the time. "During 2020 and 2021, I was compelled to order lockdowns and the foreign exchange situation deteriorated. In my view, I took the best course of action by suggesting an all-party or a national government to tackle the situation," he added.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka after an uprising against him for mishandling the country's economic crisis. He landed in Singapore on Thursday, 14 July, followed by his resignation on Friday.

(With inputs from PTI.)