Protests outside Presidential Office

It became necessary to choose a new president after Rajapaksa fled, first to Singapore and then to the Maldives, to avoid demonstrations. Rajabaya Gotapaksa, who fled the island country as it battles its greatest economic crisis, was chosen by parliament to succeed him as president on Wednesday. A sizable crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Images posted online show demonstrators waving flags and yelling slogans in front of the presidential office. If their demands are not granted, protesters have threatened further agitations and claimed that Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe, who was the prime minister at the time, resigned.

By Subhechcha Ganguly