Male: Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday resigned as the President of Sri Lanka, Mohamed Nasheed, former Maldivian President and current Speaker said.
The Speaker of the People’s Majlis of the Maldives tweeted, “Sri Lankan President GR has resigned.”
Nasheed added, “I hope Sri Lanka can now move forward.”
He said that he “believed the President would not have resigned if he were still in Sri Lanka, and fearful of losing his life.”
“I commend the thoughtful actions of the Govt of Maldives. My best wishes to the people of Sri Lanka,” he added.
Meanwhile, Singapore has confirmed that fleeing Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has entered the island city state on a private visit. The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Gotabaya Rajapaksa has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted asylum.
“In response to media queries, it is confirmed that Mr Rajapaksa has been allowed entry into Singapore on a private visit. He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum,” the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The statement comes as the fleeing Sri Lankan President arrived in Singapore after protests erupted in the Maldives due to his presence, and he had to leave.
The Sri Lankan President, his wife, Ioma, and two body guards took a Saudia Airlines flight from Male to Singapore earlier today.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, had to flee Sri Lanka after angry crowds of protesters stormed his residence on July 9. Though he had said he will hand over his resignation letter on Wednesday, he has not done so.
After fleeing Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the interim President
