Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled abroad. This is necessary to tackle the crisis in the country, said a spokesman for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Rajapaksa had left for the Maldives hours earlier on a military plane. He also had to flee on Saturday, when protesters broke into his official residence in the capital Colombo. After news of the departure broke, protesters in Colombo chanted that the president is a thief. Hundreds of demonstrators also stormed Wickremesinghe’s office on Wednesday.
Demonstrations against the government have been ongoing for some time as Sri Lanka faces its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. To stem the growing number of anti-government demonstrations, a curfew is now in place in the province that includes the capital.
Protesters blame Rajapaksa for the economic crisis and want him to resign. The president said last week that he was willing to resign after previously refusing. A source within his party has said Rajapaksa will resign on Wednesday. After his departure, Wickremesinghe is appointed as his temporary replacement. Protesters want him to resign. The Prime Minister has already said he is prepared to do so.
Upon the resignation of both the President and Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament is designated as the Acting President. It will remain on until a new president is elected.