COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled on a military jet on Wednesday after angry protesters seized his home and office, and appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president while he is overseas. Rajapaksa had earlier pledged to resign Wednesday, and Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said the president assured him he would still do so. (July 13) (AP video/Rishi Lekhi and Eranga Jayawardena)His appointment as acting president failed to calm thousands of protesters who stormed his office compound on Wednesday demanding he step down. A six-time prime minister, Wickremesinghe’s latest term is arguably the most challenging. His reputation had already been sullied by his previous stint as prime minister, when he was in a difficult power-sharing arrangement with then-President Maithripala Sirisena.

Source: thestar July 13, 2022 22:02 UTC