▲ Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was driven by anti-government protesters amid national bankruptcy, announced his intention to resign abruptly on the night of the 9th local time, foreign media including AFP and Sri Lankan media reported.
Sri Lanka's National Assembly Speaker Mahinda Yappa Abeiwardena said in a TV statement that President Rajapaksa had announced his intention to step down from the presidency on the 13th.
President Rajapaksa, who won the November 2019 presidential election, has been under pressure from the opposition and a majority of the public to resign over responsibility for the economic downturn.
The Sri Lankan government declared a 'temporary default' on April 12, stating that debt repayment would be deferred until the bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund were completed, and entered a state of official default on May 18.
Citizens who could not stand the hardships had been protesting in various places since the beginning of this year, and on the 9th local time, thousands of people held a protest demanding the resignation of the government in the capital city of Colombo.
It is known that the president was evacuated as some protesters entered the Oval Office, where the Oval Office and the official residence are located.
(Photo = Getty Images Korea)