President Rajapaksa, who has faced pressure to step down for months as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis on record, had signaled over the weekend his intention to step down on July 13, but did not address the public or submit a resignation letter. “Rajapaksa has formally informed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that he will resign as previously announced,” a statement from the prime minister’s office said. Even at the time of the announcement, the president’s whereabouts remained unknown. He has not been seen since Friday, when he was removed from his home and placed under military protection. The president’s long-awaited resignation follows mass protests on Saturday, in which hundreds of thousands of people descended on Colombo and occupied the president’s home and office as well as the prime minister’s residence, demanding Rajapaksa’s immediate resignation. Rajapaksa has been president since November 2019 and, along with five other members of his family who held senior political positions, is accused of corruption, financial mismanagement and bankrupting the country. Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves have been depleted and the country is facing a humanitarian crisis, according to the UN, which has been unable to import food, fuel and medicine. On Saturday, Wickremesinghe also agreed to step down once an all-party government is formed to take over the administration of the country. The six-time former prime minister, who has only been in office since May, has faced criticism for failing to improve the country’s dire conditions and helped prop up Rajapaksa’s presidency. Wickremesinghe’s private home was torched by protesters on Saturday night. Sri Lanka: Protesters set fire to Prime Minister’s house – video Protesters continued to occupy the official properties of the president and prime minister, claiming them as public property and saying they would not leave until both resigned. On Sunday, leaders from Sri Lanka’s main opposition parties met to try to form a new unity government and decide who will be nominated as the new prime minister and president. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST The caretaker government is expected to last only six to eight months, until conditions in Sri Lanka improve and parliamentary elections are financially viable.
