Colombo: Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s interim President on Friday before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Rajapaksa has resigned, Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena officially announced on Friday, two days after the embattled leader fled the country in the face of massive protests against his government for mishandling the economy that bankrupted the country.
The election to elect a new president will be held on July 20. The last date to file nomination is July 19.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, leaving millions struggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials.