Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigns after mass protests took over government buildings to force him out of office.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeyweardana said on Friday that parliament would meet on Saturday to begin the process of electing a new president. He expects to complete the process in seven days.
Their new election as president will serve the remainder of Mr Rajapaksa’s term, which ends in 2024. That person could potentially appoint a new prime minister, who then has to be approved by parliament.
Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on Wednesday amid mounting protests to resign. He arrived in Singapore on Thursday and the speaker said Mr Rajapaksa had sent his resignation by email, which took effect on that date.
“It’s huge to be validated like this,” said Viraga Perera, an engineer who has been protesting since April and estimates he spent a total of 60 or 70 nights there.
“On a global scale, we have led a movement that has overthrown a president with minimal force and violence. It is a mixture of victory and relief.”
Protesters who had occupied government buildings withdrew on Thursday and restored the tenuous calm in the capital Colombo. But with a broken opposition, a solution to Sri Lanka’s many miseries seemed no closer.
Abeywardana said he would ensure the process of electing a new president was swift and transparent.