Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency today as massive protests engulfed Colombo after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flew to the Maldives following months of protests against an economic crisis.
Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced that Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed Prime Minister Wickremesinghe as the acting President while he is abroad.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa had promised over the weekend to resign on Wednesday and clear the way for a "peaceful transition of power" after fleeing his official residence in Colombo just before tens of thousands of protesters overran it.
As president, Rajapaksa enjoys immunity from arrest, and he is believed to have wanted to go abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of being detained
