Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken oath as the Acting President a short while ago. He was sworn in before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.

His swearing-in came shortly after Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena officially announced the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the President of Sri Lanka effective from July 14, 2022.

Meanwhile, the vacancy in the country’s presidency is set to be announced in the parliament tomorrow (July 16) when it convenes at 10.00 a.m., pursuant to Section 04 of the Presidential Elections (Special Provisions) Act No. 2 of 1981.

Secretary-General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake, as per Section 05 of the said Act, will announce to the House that there is a vacancy in the office of the President.

At the special meeting of political party leaders and the members of Parliamentary Business Committee held this morning, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced that the parliament will elect a new President on July 20, as decided before.

Accordingly, nominations will be called next Tuesday (July 19). Following the voting in the House, a Member of Parliament will be appointed for the presidency on July 20.

The caretaker president will act in accordance with the Constitution to exercise and perform the powers, functions and duties of the President until the completion of the said process.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) general-secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara said that all political parties representing the opposition in the parliament have agreed to nominate the name of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa as the new Prime Minister.