More problems seem to be available for Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned as President of Sri Lanka on Friday, because Singapore was not interested in letting him stay long, according to sources.
Rajapaksa, 73, left the country along with his wife and two security officers with military jets on Wednesday and went to the Maldives, from where he headed to Singapore.
The authorities in Singapore told Rajapaksa that he had permission to stay for 15 days, which could not be extended, adding sources.
Rajapaksa is not clear about his plan after the next 15 days, they added. The source confirmed to CNN-NEWS 18 that he also approached India, but India had denied his request. India does not want to be seen to the people of Sri Lanka, said the source.
THE DETOUR
Rajapaksa announced on Saturday his decision to resign on July 13, after thousands of protesters stormed his official residence, blaming him over the unprecedented economic crisis that had made the country kneel. He, however, fled to the Maldives without resigning from his office.
From Maldives, he went to Singapore on Thursday.
A spokesman for Singapore’s Foreign Ministry said that Rajapaksa had been “allowed to enter Singapore on a private visit”.
He “did not ask for asylum and he was also not given asylum”, said the spokesman on Thursday, added Singapore did not provide asylum requests.
THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Rajapaksa had resigned, Parliament Chairman Mahinda Yapa Abeywarda was officially announced on Friday, two days after the leader fought fled from the country in facing a large -magnitude protest against his government because of misdirection of the economy that made the country bankrupt.
The leader on Thursday sent an email to his resignation letter to the speaker as soon as he was permitted by Singapore to enter the city-country on “personal visit”. On Friday morning, the speaker Abeywarda officially announced that President Rajapaksa had resigned after confirming the authenticity of the resignation letter was emailed to him.
“I have received a resignation letter sent by President Rajapaksa. Therefore, the President has resigned from the effect of July 14, “he said.
In a press statement, the speaker said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would act as a temporary president to the conclusion of the process of choosing a new president by parliament.
He urged the community to allow a peaceful environment for all parliamentary members to take part in the process that must be completed within seven days.
WHAT NEXT?
Sri Lanka Parliament will meet on Saturday. Under the constitution of Sri Lanka, if the president and prime minister resigned, the leader of parliament will function as an act of the president for a maximum of 30 days.
Parliament will elect a new president within 30 days from one of its members, who will hold a position for the remaining two years of this period.
The official announcement of Rajapaksa’s resignation came a day after the anti-governmental protesters emptied several administrative buildings, including the President’s House and the PM Office, they had been occupied since April 9 demanded Rajapaksa’s triggers.
Sri Lanka, a country with a population of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic chaos, which is the worst in seven decades, making millions of people struggle to buy food, medicines, fuel, and other important things.