The Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced in a special statement, Wednesday, that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as Acting President in accordance with the Constitution. Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Mirror quoted Abeywardena that President Gotabaya, who fled to the Maldives on Wednesday, has told him to appoint Prime Minister Wickremesinghe as acting president. The new president appointed a committee consisting of chief of defense staff and leaders of the three forces to ensure the safety of citizens and restore law in the country, adding that the committee was given power to work without interference from politicians. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency across the island, and ordered security forces to arrest any protester. Protesters stormed the prime minister's in Colombo, as they refuse appointing him as temporary president, and police used tear gas to disperse protesters. Meanwhile, Daily Mirror has reported that protesters from the Maldives and Sri Lankan expatriates are protesting near the Maldives president's home, demanding the expulsion of the ousted Sri Lankan president, amid reports that Rajapaksa will leave for Singapore. The Speaker of Parliament Abeywardena announced that Parliament will convene next Friday and that a new speaker will be elected on July 20, after the current president announced his decision to step down on July 13. Sri Lanka has been suffering from political tensions for months due to the deterioration of the economy, which led to a shortage of supplies in the areas of oil, medicine, lighting and household necessities, in addition to continuous power outages. — Agencies
