Sri Lanka: NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake to contest for Presidency

Colombo: Sri Lanka's National People's Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake will contest for the President post after the parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena accepted Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation.

Addressing the press, NPP MP Vijitha Herath said that Dissanayake will contest the presidency as the candidate from his party, Daily Mirror reported.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dassanayake officially informed the House that the office of the President has fallen vacant.

"I tried my best," the former President said in a resignation letter which was read by Dassanayake in the Parliament. Secretary General further said that there was a vacancy for the presidency, according to Daily Mirror.

The Secretary-General informed the House that nominations for Presidency should be submitted to him on July 19 when the House convened at 10 am.

He also said if more than one candidate has submitted nominations, a vote would be taken in Parliament on July 20 to elect the President.

Earlier, on Friday, Sri Lanka's main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa announced that he will contest the Presidential elections.

Taking to Twitter, Sajith Premadasa wrote, "I am contesting to be the President. The electorate is confined to 225 MPs with the GR (Gotabaya Rajapaksa) coalition dominating the numbers. Even though it is an uphill struggle, I am convinced that truth will prevail."

As the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has resigned from office, in accordance with the Constitution, the Parliament will meet next week and take steps to elect a new President, read a special statement by acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

This comes as Sri Lanka faces its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court has issued an interim order that prevented former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa from leaving the country without the court's permission until July 28.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday was sworn in as the interim President after Parliament Speaker Abeywardena accepted the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa submitted his resignation letter Thursday after arriving in Singapore, officially vacating the post of President. (ANI)