The Sri Lankan parliament convened on Saturday to begin electing a new leader to complete the current term after the president fled the country and resigned in the wake of widespread protests about the decline of the economy.
Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, the speaker of parliament, pledged a quick and open political process that would be finished in a week. On Friday, Ranil Wickremesinghe, the country’s prime minister, was sworn in as interim president until the parliament will elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s replacement.
However, protesters in the crisis-driven island nation urge that the six-term prime minister also should resign.
Wickremesinghe might be replaced by a legislator appointed by the future president.
The parliament’s secretary general Dhammika Dasanayake announced during a brief session that the hearing of presidential nominations will be made on Tuesday. The legislators will vote on Wednesday if there is a single more candidate running for presidentship.
