Following the formal resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, parliament has announced that an election will be held on July 20 to determine who will be Sri Lanka’s new head of state. In the meantime, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as interim president.
The office of the Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament has announced that the House will elect a new speaker on July 20 to succeed Gotabaya Rajapaksa who resigned after fleeing the country.
Nominations for the presidency will be received on July 19 and MPs are expected to vote the following day, House Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana’s office said in a brief statement.
Wickremesinghe as interim president
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as interim president on Friday, replacing Gotabaya Rajapaksa who resigned after fleeing into exile, the Prime Minister’s office said.
Wickremesinghe was sworn in in the presence of Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Wickremesinghe’s office said in a statement.