Sri Lankan president expected to head to Singapore via Maldives: Report

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to head to Singapore from the Maldives, local media reported on Wednesday.

After Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives in the early hours of Wednesday, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency in his role as the acting president amid protests.

According to the Colombo-based Daily Mirror, Rajapaksa is expected to travel to Singapore from the Maldives.

Amid mass protests in the wake of a worsening economic crisis, Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said on Saturday that the president would resign on July 13.

The development came after thousands of protesters stormed the presidential palace in Colombo and also set fire to the prime minister's home.

Wickremesinghe also agreed on Saturday to resign after the formation of an all-party government.

Protesters have blamed Rajapaksa's political dynasty for the crisis. Mahinda Rajapaksa, a brother of the president, resigned as prime minister in May.

Crippled by a shortage of foreign exchange after the collapse of its tourism-dependent economy, the island nation of 22 million people has defaulted on all of its foreign debt.

It has been unable to pay for fuel and other essentials, resulting in anti-government protests. A lack of fuel to run power stations has in turn led to daily power cuts. Schools have been shut and state employees have been asked to work from home.

The government is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package.

Months of protests have demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose government has been blamed for the chronic mismanagement of Sri Lanka's finances.

It was stated that Rajapaksa, called the speaker of parliament saying that his resignation letter will be sent later in the day.