Sri Lanka declares state of emergency after president flees, PM appoints acting president
Sri Lanka declared a state of public emergency today, Wednesday, hours after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives issued a statement announcing the appointment of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country's acting president.
"Since the president has left the country, a state of emergency has been declared to deal with the situation in the country," the prime minister's spokesman, Dink Columbag, told AFP.
In a related context, the Sri Lankan police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the Prime Minister's Office.
The demonstrators demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in conjunction with the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled to the Maldives.
It is noteworthy that Sri Lanka is experiencing the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. Last week, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa sent a letter to the Russian president asking for help in oil purchases.
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