Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as interim president before the chief justice on Friday.

Mr Wickremesinghe was sworn in following the resignation of President  Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Earlier, Sri Lanka’s Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena,  announced the official resignation of President Rajapaksa, and that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would be sworn in as an interim president.

In a press conference, Mr Abeywardena said he received the resignation letter of the president, from this point forth the president has legally resigned from his legal duties and responsibilities.

“Under these circumstances, the constitutional procedure of appointing a new president will now be activated.

“Until this constitutional procedure is over, according to the constitution the prime minister will function in the capacity of the president overseeing functions, duties, and powers of the office of the president,” the speaker said.

The speaker added that parliament would  convene on July 16 and he requested all legislators to attend parliamentary sessions on that day.

He requested maximum cooperation for the democratic process of electing a new president and government from all party leaders, state officials, and security forces.

He made a special appeal to the citizens of Sri Lanka to create a peaceful environment that would allow all lawmakers to attend parliament freely.

The speaker said he intended to conclude the process of electing a new president within a short period of seven days.

Sri Lanka had been in the midst of a severe economic turmoil for months, which had led to a shortage of basic supplies such as food, gas and fuel. 

(Xinhua/NAN)