Sri Lanka prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe takes oath as acting president

• Shubham
• 15 July, 2022

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By: Shubham Ghosh

SRI LANKAN prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday (15) took oath as the acting president of the crisis-ravaged island-nation after Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned via email from Singapore on Thursday (14).

The latter’s resignation was accepted by the speaker of the Lankan parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, AFP reported.

“Gotabaya has legally resigned” with effect from Thursday, Abeywardana told reporters. “I have accepted the resignation.”

Wickremasinghe, 73, will act as Sri Lanka’s acting president till a new president is elected by the parliament. Abeywardana said the new president will be elected in the next one week, once the parliament convenes.

Rajapaksa had appointed Wickremesinghe as the acting president hours after he fled to the Maldives earlier this week.