The President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled his country early this morning. This reports a Sri Lankan immigration officer. Last Saturday, thousands of protesters stormed his palace. He has been in hiding ever since. The president has announced that he will resign today.
Rajapaksa fled with his wife and two bodyguards to Malé, the capital of the Maldives.
On Saturday, the president also had to flee. Then thousands of demonstrators stormed the presidential palace. The video below shows the protesters walking through the palace and lying in the president’s pool:
After the storming , the president confirmed that he would resign today.
According to local media, parliament is expected to appoint an acting president by the end of the week, after which a new prime minister, an interim government and ultimately elections should be held.
Economic crisis
Demonstrations have been going on in Sri Lanka for months because of the economic crisis in the country. Sri Lanka has had a shortage of food, medicines and fuel for some time now. Protesters hold President Rajapaksa responsible.