Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa due to resign after protests

Sri Lankans are waiting for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to meet a guarantee to resign after he fled mass protests over the island’s worsening economic crisis.

He went into hiding after thousands stormed his palace upon Saturday.

Mr Rajapaksa introduced he would step down on Wednesday “to ensure a peaceful handover associated with power”. His leading minister also indicated he would quit.

Demonstration leaders are challenging that both guys go now together with the government – or even face much bigger demonstrations.

Sri Lankans fault Mr Rajapaksa’s administration for their worst recession in decades. For months they have been struggling with day-to-day power cuts plus shortages of fundamentals like fuel, as well as medicines.

The reduction of the president poises a potential power vacuum in the country, which needs a functioning government to help start digging it out of financial hurt.

Politicians from all other parties have been speaking about forming a new oneness government but there is absolutely no sign they are near agreement yet. It’s also not clear if the public would accept the actual come up with.

Under the constitution, it is the prime minister who should act in the president’s stead if the latter resigns. The top minister is considered the president’s deputy in parliament.

However , present PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is also deeply unpopular. Protesters set fire to his private residence on Saturday – he and his family were not inside – and he said he would resign in making way for an oneness government, but gave no date.

That leaves the parliament’s Speaker since the next most likely to step in as caretaker president, constitutional professionals say. However Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is an ally of the Rajapaksas. It is unclear whether the public would take his authority.

Whoever does become acting president has 30 days to hold an selection for a new chief executive from among users of parliament. The winner of that vote could then notice out the remainder associated with Mr Rajapaksa’s expression until late 2024.

Mister Rajapaksa’s announcement which he would quit upon Wednesday came via the Speaker. The president himself has not voiced publicly since fleeing Saturday’s protests.

The existing whereabouts of Mister Rajapaksa, an authoritarian leader whose family members has ruled the island for most from the last two decades, are unclear. Defence resources say he has been whisked away to safety during Saturday’s protests.

On Mon, the main opposition head Sajith Premadasa told the particular BBC he would end up being tilting for the obama administration . But he or she also lacks community support and there is certainly deep public mistrust of politicians generally.

The protest motion which has brought Sri Lanka to the brink associated with change also does not take an obvious contender for that country’s leadership.

Additional reporting by the BBC’s Frances Mao