Sri Lanka's embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday left the Maldives for Singapore after fleeing his country amidst the worst economic and political crisis faced by the island nation in decades.
Rajapaksa has departed from the Maldives on Saudi Airline flight SV 788 to Singapore, sources said.
Rajapaksa, his wife Loma and their two security officers were expected to leave for Singapore on board SQ437 from Male on Wednesday night but did not board the aircraft due to security concerns, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.
Fearing backlash from civilians, Rajapaksa fled Lanka on Tuesday night on a military jet, ahead of his resignation and flew to the Maldives. He was supposed to quit in the face of a public revolt against his government for mishandling the economy that has bankrupted the country.
Protesters have taken over the Presidential palace, the Prime Minister’s office, the Prime Minister’s home, and the state broadcaster, taking it off the air.
From the Maldives, 73-year-old Rajapaksa appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the acting President, citing Article 37(1) of the Constitution that allows a premier to "discharge the powers, duties and functions of the office of president" when the president is ill or "absent" from the country.
On Wednesday, the Lankan political leaders held an all-party meeting, where it was decided to let the parliament Speaker take over as the acting President. However, the office of Wickremesinghe has said that an all-party government must be formed including the ruling and the Opposition parties. Wickremesinghe has been asked to step down.
Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency in the country and a curfew in the Western province has been imposed as protesters gathered near his office at Flower Road in Colombo.
India has dismissed reports claiming that it had helped President Rajapaksa and his brother Basil flee. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywarden said that he is yet to receive the resignation letter from Rajapaksa.
