Sri Lankan parliamentary speaker to formally announce president's resignation on Friday

Sri Lanka's Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has received the resignation letter of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and will formally announce his resignation on Friday after completing the legal procedures, the Speaker's Office said.

Media reports said Rajapaksa emailed his resignation to the speaker, after he arrived in Singapore flying from the Maldives.

Rajapaksa's original resignation letter will be delivered to Colombo from Singapore, according to media reports, saying the speaker needs to see the original letter before formally announcing the president's resignation.

According to the country's constitution, if the office of president becomes vacant prior to the expiration of his term of office, the parliament shall elect one of its members as president who is qualified. Before the new president assumes office, the prime minister shall act in the office of president and appoint one of the other ministers of the cabinet to act in the office of prime minister.

Abeywardena said on Monday that political party leaders have decided to elect a new president on July 20 through a vote in parliament.

(Xinhua News Agency)