Sri Lanka will elect a new president on July 20 after the revolt that toppled Gotabaya Rajapaksa

The Parliament of Sri Lanka will elect the new president on July 20 to lead the island nation on an interim basis after the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, pressured by the protest of thousands of citizens.

After a meeting of the parties, once the resignation of Rajapaksa the Chamber will receive the nominations on July 19, and on Wednesday the 20th a new president will be elected, the president of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. Rajapaksa elected at the end of 2019, announced his resignation last Saturday, effective as of next Wednesday, after a massive protest, driven by the country’s serious economic crisis, ended in an assault on his official residence, forcing his flight .

His resignation was confirmed today by the Prime Minister’s office, Ranil Wickremesinghe, without specifying further details. Although Wickremesinghe, who ascended to the position just two months ago, who does so first in the line of succession to the Presidency of the island country, had also announced his resignation last Saturday, his office has not reported the formalization of this decision until now .

Sri Lanka It has been immersed in an agitated climate of protests due to the serious economic crisis in the country, the worst since its independence from the British Empire in 1948. For months, the nation has suffered from a deep shortage of medicine, food and fuel, caused in part by heavy debt, misguided government policies and the impact of the Easter attacks and the pandemic on tourism.

The formation of a new government is essential for this nation, which is currently negotiating a rescue program with the International Monetary Fund that will allow it to restore fiscal stability. According to the Sri Lankan Constitution, if both the Presidency and the Prime Minister’s office become vacant, Parliament must elect within 30 days one of its representatives as Acting President, who can complete the remaining two-year term. .

Although several ministers of the Rajapaksa Government have already announced their resignation, the rest of the Cabinet agreed that they will submit their joint resignation once the parties manage to form a unity government.