The president who was overthrown by Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in his resignation letter that he took “all possible steps” to prevent the Sri Lanka crisis. The Presidential Letter was read out at a special parliamentary session on Saturday.
In other news, Sri Lanka received the first of three fuel shipments on Saturday, Minister of Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said, reported PTI. This is the first shipment to reach the country in about three weeks.
Earlier on Saturday, Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay asked the Chairman of the Parliament Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywarda and convinced him that India would continue to support democracy, stability, and economic recovery in the country. India has become the main source of foreign assistance for Sri Lanka this year.
The new president is expected to be elected on July 20 and will serve the rest of Rajapaksa’s term of office, which ended in 2024.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the president while the country. The newly elected president is likely to appoint a new prime minister, who must then be approved by the parliament.
