Sri Lanka is expected to elect a new president next week

2022-07-11 19:48:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Sri Lanka is expected to elect a new president next week

Photo from Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's parliament will elect a new president on July 20, the parliament speaker said on Monday, after weekend protesters stormed the residence of the current president and prime minister, who have offered to resign following the economic crisis.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who oversaw a crackdown on insurgents while he was defense secretary, is expected to resign on Wednesday. His brothers and nephew previously resigned as ministers as Sri Lanka began to run short of fuel, food and other essentials in its worst crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.

Parliament will convene on Friday and five days later will elect a new president, said Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.

"During the leaders' meeting that was held today, they agreed that this is necessary to ensure a government where all parties would participate, respecting the Constitution," he said through a statement.

“Partia qeverisëse ka thënë se kryeministri dhe kabineti janë të gatshëm të japin dorëheqje dhe të emërojnë një qeveri gjithëpërfshirëse”, shtoi ai.

Kryeministri Ranil Wickremesinghe, shtëpia private e të cilit është djegur nga protestuesit, ka thënë se do të japë dorëheqje. Zyra e tij ka konfirmuar planet për dorëheqje, duke shtuar se kabineti do të japë dorëheqje sapo të arrihet marrëveshje për formimin e një qeverie gjithëpërfshirëse.

Liderët e protestave kanë thënë se do të uzurpojnë rezidencat e presidentit dhe kryeministrit në Kolombo deri në momentin kur ata të japin dorëheqje.

Gjatë fundjavës protestuesit hynë në shtëpinë e presidentit në Kolombo. Ky qytet ishte më i qetë të hënën, ku qindra njerëz u panë në rezidencën e presidentit. Policia nuk bëri asnjë përpjekje për të ndërhyrë.

Police said they have received about $50,000 that was found by protesters at the president's residence on Saturday.

The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, has called for a peaceful transition of the Government and "durable solutions" for the current economic crisis, emphasizes REL.

For months, Sri Lanka has been facing shortages of food, fuel and medicine, and the unrest came to a head on Saturday when protesters stormed the presidential residence. /CNA.al