Colombo - Sri Lanka’s embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the Maldives on Thursday after fleeing his own country amid mass protests demanding he resign over his country’s economic collapse. The capital city was calm on Thursday as people waited for the resignation of Rajapaksa.

It was not immediately clear what Rajapaksa’s destination would be. Maldives officials could only confirm his first stop in Singapore. Since Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in power it’s likely Rajapaksa planned his departure while he still had constitutional immunity and access to a military jet.

Amid the mounting chaos on Wednesday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office imposed a state of emergency giving broader powers to the military and police.

Wickremesinghe also has said he will resign, but not until a new government is in place. He has urged the speaker of Parliament to find a new prime minister agreeable to both the ruling and opposition parties.

An overnight curfew imposed by the acting president ended early on Thursday with no arrests.

The area around parliament was deserted on Thursday morning. Police manned a barricade on the approach road. Nearby, life returned to normal, with shops open and plenty of cars on the road.

Sri Lanka's parliament is expected to name a new full-time president on July 20, and a top ruling party source told Reuters Wickremesinghe was the party's first choice, although no decision had been taken. The opposition's choice is their main leader Sajith Premadasa, the son of a former president.
-Ap/Reuters