Protesters outside the Presidential Palace in Colombo, Sri LankaNEW DELHI, Jul 9The Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeiwardena, officially informed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of the decisions taken at today's meeting of party leaders, in particular the demand for his resignation, Adaderana reports, citing the Speaker's office. «In a letter sent to the President, the Speaker notified the President of the following decisions taken by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and other leaders of political parties: the President and Prime Minister leave their respective positions without delay, convocation of Parliament within 7 days to appoint an Acting President, Appointment of an interim government and a new Prime Minister with an Acting President based on the consensus of representatives of all parties, holding elections at the appropriate time to allow the people to elect new members of the public,» the speaker's letter was quoted as saying.The Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the events in Sri LankaOn Saturday, thousands of protests swept the capital of Sri Lanka. Instead of the peaceful march planned for that day, the protesters broke through the police barriers and seized the presidential palace. The president himself was evacuated and, according to media reports, could have left Sri Lanka by plane. According to doctors, at least 40 people were injured as a result of the protests, including two policemen. During an emergency meeting held in the afternoon, the leaders of the country's parties called on the president and prime minister to resign, appoint the speaker of parliament as interim president, within 30 days to elect a new head of state from members of parliament, and to appoint an interim all-party government and hold elections in the near future. Sri Lanka is experiencing the worst economic crisis since the country gained independence in 1948. The coronavirus pandemic has hit the tourism sector, a key source of foreign exchange, leaving Sri Lanka unable to buy enough fuel. There is a shortage of food, basic necessities, medicines and gas in the country. Many parts of Sri Lanka are facing constant power outages due to lack of fuel. At the same time, the external debt of the island nation is estimated at $51 billion.
