Sri Lanka crisis: New President to be elected on July 20, says a Minister

Colombo, July 11: As Sri Lanka battles an unprecedented economic and political crisis, Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Prasanna Ranatunga on Monday said that the new President of Sri Lanka will be elected on July 20.

His statement comes after embattled Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa officially informed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that he is stepping down from his post on July 13.

Ranatunga said that if Rajapaksa resigns on July 13, the party leaders will elect a new President on July 20, reported NewsWire.

The following events will take place if the President resigns on 13th July as decided at the party leaders' meeting- Parliament will be convened on July 15; Nominations for the post of President will be accepted on July 19 and the new President will be elected on July 20.

Thousands of people stormed into the President's House in Fort on Saturday. From taking a dip in the swimming pool to preparing food, several videos showed that the protesters had a gala time at his palace. Even the Prime Minister's private house has also been forcefully occupied by protestors.

People who have stormed into the residences of the President and Prime Minister have cleared that they will continue to occupy their houses until they resign from their posts.

Sri Lanka is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, crippled by an acute shortage of foreign exchange that has left it struggling to pay for essential imports of fuel, and other essentials.