Sri Lanka's under-fire president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will resign on Wednesday, parliament speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced. Rajapaksa appears to have gone underground in the face of massive public anger over an unprecedented economic crisis that has brought Sri Lanka to its knees.
Amid an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, thousands of protesters stormed the official residence of Rajapaksa, whose whereabouts were unknown and it is believed the 73-year-old leader left the house before the massive mob arrived.
At the same time, a group of protesters entered the private residence of prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and set it on fire.
Abeywardena had told Rajapaksa that party leaders wanted him and Wickremesinghe to resign immediately, parliament to be convened in seven days to appoint an acting president, and appoint an interim all-party government under a new prime minister commanding majority in parliament. It was also decided to call for elections within a short period of time and install a new government.
At least 45 people, including seven security personnel, were injured in clashes between security forces and the protesters who had gathered in large numbers demanding Rajapaksa's resignation.
