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Sri Lankan lawmakers request PM to take presidency after Rajapaksa’s resignation

Following discussions held within the political parties till last evening, Ranil Wickremesinghe held a majority of nearly 115 seats in parliament

NEW DELHI, July 11. /TASS/. A group of lawmakers requested Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to take the country’s presidency after the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Monday.

"Following discussions held within the political parties till last evening, Wickremesinghe held a majority of nearly 115 seats in parliament. Several MPs have also requested him to continue and take over the presidency and not leave the economic crisis halfway especially since talks with the IMF were ongoing," the newspaper said.

According to the Daily Mirror, "if Wickremesinghe continues in office, he will be sworn in as president on Wednesday following Rajapaksa's resignation and till a presidential is held, he will concentrate on finalizing a deal with the IMF and restoring some kind of economic normalcy."

Following protests on Saturday, which left over 100 people injured with protesters breaking into the residences of the president and prime minister, Rajapaksa said he would step down on July 13. Wickremesinghe also said that he was ready to resign.

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