Sri Lanka declares state of emergency, imposes curfew; PM gets interim presidential powers

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his wife and bodyguards fled Sri Lanka on an Air Force plane to Male, the capital of the Maldives.

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has authorised the prime minister to carry out presidential duties, the speaker of parliament said on Wednesday after the president fled to the Maldives amid protests. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in the Western Province of the country, said the PM‘s office.

Protests broke out in the capital city of Colombo after President Rajapaksa fled the country on a military plane early on Wednesday. The President, his wife and two bodyguards landed in the Male reportedly after intervention from a top Maldivian leader. Rajapaksa was set to step down on July 13, but Parliamentary Speaker is yet to receive his resignation letter, as per a Reuters report.

Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said it “categorically denies baseless and speculative media reports that India facilitated the recent reported travel of gotabayar Realbrajapaksa out of Sri Lanka”. The President’s departure comes a day after his brother and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa was stopped at the airport as he tried to leave the country.