Sri Lanka’s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was flown to an airbase near the main international airport on Monday (July 11), the AFP reported, citing officials.
Raising speculation that President Rajapaksa will flee into exile abroad, the report said that he fled the presidential palace in Colombo under naval protection on Saturday, shortly before tens of thousands of protesters overran the compound.
Hours later, the parliamentary speaker announced that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would resign on Wednesday (13) to allow a “peaceful transition of power”.
The 73-year-old leader had taken refuge at a navy facility, a top defence official told AFP, before being brought to the Katunayake airbase, which shares a perimeter fence with the country’s main Bandaranaike International airport.
“He and his entourage were flown back to Colombo in two Bell 412 choppers,” he added.
There was no official word from the President’s office about his whereabouts, but several local media reports speculated he was set to leave for Dubai later on Monday.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had officially informed him of his intention to resign, without specifying a date.
If Gotabaya Rajapaksa steps down as promised, Ranil Wickremesinghe will automatically become acting President until Parliament elects an MP to serve out his term that ends in November 2024.
But PM Wickremesinghe has himself announced his willingness to step down if consensus is reached on forming a unity government.
The succession process could take between three days – the minimum time taken to convene Parliament – and a maximum of 30 days allowed under the statute.
On Monday, huge queues formed to visit the Presidential palace, in a line longer than some of the petrol queues snaking their way through the city.
Protesters say they will not leave until Gotabaya Rajapaksa formally quits.
Demonstrators had been camping outside the President’s office for more than three months demanding he quit over the country’s unprecedented economic crisis.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa is accused of mismanaging the economy to a point where the country has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports, leading to severe hardships for the 22 million population. (NewsWire)
