Additional violence is anticipated in Sri Lanka today as Left-backed protestors put more pressure on the streets to bring about a political change after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa pulled a “Ashraf Ghani” and fled to Male, leaving the island nation in economic disaster.
On July 19, the Sri Lankan Parliament will vote on six candidates for the position of president, but none of them had the necessary support or even the will to assume control of the troubled country. The worst-case scenario is if Ranil Wickremesinghe, a former prime minister who is thought to be very close to the scandal-plagued Rajapaksas and who reportedly has support from the West, ends up as the consensus choice.
Gotabaya spent the entirety of Tuesday trying in vain to obtain a visa to the United States, despite the fact that Sri Lanka is currently a bankrupt country with a food and fuel crisis. To become the president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya had to renounce his citizenship in the US. Even yet, it was unsuccessful since New Delhi was siding with the people of Sri Lanka. He even attempted to transmit signals to India.
It is believed that Gotabaya, despite international advice to remain put, left with relatives on Tuesday night and arrived in Male following an hour-long flight aboard a medium lift Russian AN-32 aircraft operated by the Sri Lankan Air Force. Given that Gotabaya is still the country’s legitimate president, he was welcomed at the airport by Speaker Mohammed Nasheed, who had also fled to Sri Lanka in 2012. Before leaving Colombo, he is claimed to have submitted a letter to the Speaker of the Parliament announcing his resignation as president. The Rajapaksas and the Speaker are tight.
Once Gotabaya has left the country, the protesters will increase their pressure on the immigration authorities to prevent the escape of the Rajapaksa family, which is headed by the former prime minister Mahinda. Mahinda, who is regarded as being close to China, and his youngest brother, Basil, continue to be protected by the military in Colombo. Contrary to what the media claimed, on Monday night, it was the former foreign minister Basil who was prevented from boarding an Emirates flight to Dubai by the protesters.
