Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country early Wednesday on a military plane to the Maldives, likely to mark the start of his resignation, after months of widespread protests over the worst economic crisis in national history.
After thousands of protesters stormed the president’s official residence last Saturday, Rajapaksa said he would step down and pave the way for a “peaceful transition” of power.
Rajapaksa enjoys presidential immunity and can use it to seek refuge abroad and avoid detention at home.
The 73-year-old president, his wife and a bodyguard left the country on an Antonov-32 plane departing from the main international airport, immigration officials told AFP.
“Their passports were stamped and they boarded a special air force flight,” an immigration official said.
Airport officials said the plane was unable to take off on the runway for more than an hour after confusion over clearance to land in the Maldives. This archipelago is located southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.
According to official sources, a few hours ago, Rajapaksa had considered leaving the country on a Navy patrol boat after failing to catch a flight to Dubai the day before after a fight with the immigration service at the airport.
Over the weekend, the president fled his residence under pressure from thousands of protesters who eventually stormed the presidential compound.
VIP room
According to official sources, the president and his wife spent the night at a military base before their planned trip to Dubai.
But at the airport, immigration officials refused to let him into the VIP lounge to have his passport stamped. Rajapaksa wanted to avoid the public terminal, fearing Sinhalese backlash.
His brother Basil, who resigned as finance minister in April, was also unable to board the plane to Dubai.
“Some passengers protested Basil’s boarding,” an airport official told AFP.
“It was a tense situation and he decided to leave the airport in a hurry,” he said.
Cash
Basil, who also holds American citizenship, was forced to obtain a new passport after leaving the presidential mansion when his family had to flee before angry crowds invaded, according to a diplomatic source.
According to official sources, a suitcase of documents and 17.85 million rupees ($50,000) were found in the residence, which were handed over to the authorities.
If Rajapaksa resigns as promised, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will replace him until parliament elects an interim president for the remainder of his term, which will expire in November 2024.
But Wickremesinghe lacks legitimacy in the face of protesters who have camped outside the presidential secretariat for more than three months to demand the president’s resignation.
The prime minister announced that he was ready to resign if a consensus was reached to form a unity government.
Rajapaksa is accused of mismanaging the economy, which plunged the country into a scenario of chaos and a deep crisis due to the lack of foreign exchange, making it impossible to finance the imports of essential goods for a population of 22 million.
Sri Lanka defaulted on $51 billion in debt in April and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to get a loan.
In addition, the country has nearly depleted its fuel reserves, and the government has ordered the closure of non-essential administrations and schools to reduce displacement.
source: Noticias
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