Mumbai: Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been appointed as the acting President of the country.
This comes after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled Sri Lanka on a military jet amid mass protests over the economic crisis.
Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abhaywardene announced that President Rajapaksa has appointed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to carry out his functions while abroad. He said that it is under Article 37(1) of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, a large number of protesters who reached the PM’s office surrounded the building. The Prime Minister’s Office had earlier reformed that a state of emergency would be declared only after his appointment as the acting President.
However, a curfew was in force. The Prime Minister has also ordered the security forces to arrest those who instigated the riots.
The curfew, however, was in force. The Prime Minister has also ordered the security forces to arrest people acting in a riotous manner.
President Rajapaksa, 73, left the country along with his wife and two security officers on a military jet, a brief statement from the Sri Lanka Air Force said.
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