Sri Lankan President emails resignation after fleeing to Singapore

President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa emails resignation after fleeing to Singapore on Thursday.

According to Sri Lankan media, Rajapaksa had sent his resignation to the Speaker of Sri Lankan parliament around seven in the evening, Sri Lanka time. They had reported Rajapaksa had sent in his resignation via email.

AFP reported the parliamentary speaker had forwarded the resignation to the country's Attorney General to consider its legal implications before formally accepting it.

Media officials of the parliamentary speaker had said they were verifying the resignation as well considering its legal implications before formally accepting it.

Rajapaksa, his wife, and two bodyguards had arrived to Maldives on Wednesday, after Sri Lankan citizens had stormed his residence as well as the residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe over the course of the week. He had first attempted to flee to United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, after a standoff with the staff at Bandaranaike International Airport that lasted approximately 24 hours, where he had missed five flights that could have taken him to UAE, he had considered fleeing the country on the sea route. He later arrived to Maldives in a military plane.

Maldives' role in providing aid for Rajapaksa to flee his country has garnered criticism from both Sri Lankans and Maldivians alike. Regardless, the government has refused to make comments on this issue so far.

However, Singapore made an announcement as soon as Rajapaksa arrived in the nation, stating that he had come for a private visit and the country had not granted him asylum. They further clarified that they did not have policies to provide political asylum.

“Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum," the press statement by Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said.

Wickremesinghe currently holds the presidential powers of the country. The citizens of Sri Lanka has released the government buildings that had seized and resumed efforts to transfer power peacefully. If matters proceed as previously planned, a new president will be elected by the parliament on July 20.