Protesters in Sri Lanka began evacuating official residences including the prime minister's office and the presidential palace in response to a call by the Bar Association to facilitate a peaceful transition of power, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and delegated his powers to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yaba said that he faces a "difficult situation" in light of not receiving an official resignation from the president, stressing that if the latter does not sign the resignation, the constitutional steps that authorize the selection of a new president in the event of the president vacating his office or his absence can be taken into account. .
Sri Lanka's president's decision to leave his ally the prime minister as delegate to his presidential duties sparked more demonstrations, as protesters on Wednesday stormed the prime minister's office, demanding his departure, and threatening a general strike on Thursday if the president and prime minister did not resign.
The police failed to prevent the protesters from entering the headquarters, but they continued to preserve the place and its property.
Sri Lankan authorities have refrained from revealing the whereabouts of the prime minister who has declared a state of emergency and a nationwide curfew until this morning, in a bid to prevent further unrest after protesters stormed his office.
The parliament speaker said earlier that President Rajapaksa had called him and told him that his resignation letter would arrive later on Wednesday, but none of the speaker's aides had received any update on the resignation letter until late Wednesday.
He added that a new president would be elected on the 20th of this month, and a senior source in the ruling People's Party told Reuters that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is the party's first choice, although no decision has been taken in this regard.
Reuters reported that the main opposition party (Progressive Party) announced the nomination of its leader, Sagit Premadasa, for the presidency of the country.
According to Al-Jazeera correspondent in Sri Lanka, the Speaker of Parliament stated that he accepts any nominations for the post of President even before the country's president submits his resignation.
And if Rajapaksa resigns - as he promised on Wednesday - then the speaker of the House of Representatives will be his acting until a new president is elected, in accordance with the constitution.
president escape
The Sri Lankan president fled to the Maldives on Wednesday after an economic collapse sparked a popular uprising that appears to have broken his family's strong grip on the country for nearly two decades.
The Sri Lankan Air Force said - in a statement - that President Rajapaksa, his wife and two of his bodyguards left on board an Air Force plane to the Maldives.
A government source said that after Rajapaksa's arrival in the Maldives, he is expected to go to Singapore, and media in the Maldives reported that Singapore is likely to grant Rajapaksa asylum.