Sri Lankan PM becomes acting president

COLOMBO－Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka's interim president on Friday until Parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned after mass protests over the country's economic collapse forced him out of office.

The country's ruling party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna said on Friday they would nominate Wickremesinghe to the presidency when Parliament elects a new leader on Wednesday.

In a media briefing on Friday, Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said he has received Rajapaksa's resignation letter and from this point forth, the president has legally resigned from his legal duties and responsibilities.

Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore on Thursday and his resignation became official that day.

Singapore's Foreign Ministry said he had not requested asylum.

"Under these circumstances, the constitutional procedure of appointing a new president will now be activated. Until this constitutional procedure is over, according to the constitution the prime minister will function in the capacity of the president overseeing functions, duties, and powers of the office of the president," the speaker said.

Abeywardena added that Parliament will convene on Saturday and he requested all legislators to attend parliamentary sessions that day.

Their choice would serve out the remainder of Rajapaksa's term ending in 2024, Abeywardena said. He expects the process to be done in seven days.

Sri Lanka has been in the midst of a severe economic turmoil for months, which has led to a shortage of basic supplies such as food, gas and fuel.

The country has run short of money to pay for imports of basic necessities such as food, fertilizer, medicine and fuel, to the despair of its 22 million people. Its rapid economic decline has been all the more shocking because the economy had been expanding before this crisis.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday that China is paying great attention to the challenges and difficulties in Sri Lanka, and has been providing assistance to Sri Lanka's economic and social development.

He added that the second batch of emergency humanitarian food aid provided by China to Sri Lanka was successfully handed over on Thursday.

Xinhua - Agencies