On Friday, a day after Wickremesinghe was sworn in, security forces launched a pre-dawn raid on a protest camp occupying Colombo government land and evacuated part of it.
Here are some of the key developments of the crisis:
March 31, 2022: Demonstrators go to the private residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to protest against the deteriorating economic situation.
April 3: Rajapaksa dissolves the cabinet, which includes his younger brother Basil Rajapaksa as finance minister, but his older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa remains prime minister.
April 9: Protests escalate, with sit-ins outside Rajapaksa’s office calling for the president’s removal to pave the way for political reform.
May 9: Following widespread clashes between pro and anti-government demonstrators, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns. The violence across the country left nine dead and around 300 injured.
July 9: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa informs the speaker of parliament that he plans to step down on July 13 after protesters stormed the official presidential residence. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says he too is ready to step down.
July 13: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees Sri Lanka, going first to the Maldives, before going to Singapore.
July 14: Rajapaksa submits a letter of resignation a few hours after arriving in Singapore.
July 15: Parliament accepts Rajapaksa’s resignation; Ranil Wickremesinghe is sworn in as interim president.
July 18: Wickremesinghe declares a state of emergency.
July 20: Wickremesinghe wins the parliamentary vote to become the new president.
July 22: Sri Lankan security forces raid a protest camp occupying government land in the main city of Colombo and evacuate part of it, arresting nine people.