Ranil Wickremesinghe, the prime minister of Sri Lanka, assumed the role of acting president on Wednesday, hours after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the nation for the Maldives amid protests against him, according to Reuters.
Rajapaksa left the nation earlier in the day and flew to the Maldives, where he was welcomed by Mohamed Nasheed, the speaker. He had given in to the protesters' demand that he quit as president and had decided to do so today.
The Speaker's office confirmed to Al Jazeera after the prime minister declared a state of emergency that it had not yet received the resignation letter from President Rajapaksa,indicating that no acting president has yet been appointed.
Numerous protestors descended on the presidential palace and the prime minister's residence last weekend, escalating months of ongoing anti-Rajapaksa demonstrations. The Rajapaksa family has been accused by the protesters for the country's economic problems, which has left the populace unable to afford petrol, food, and medical care.