Colombo, July 10 (Agency) After a day of violent protests which saw the country’s President fleeing and the prime minister offering to resign, there is calm on the streets of Sri Lanka, BBC reported on Sunday. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is expected to formally resign on Wednesday, thus ending the country’s most powerful political family’s hold over the country. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was appointed to the post only two months ago, also offered to resign to allow an all-party interim government to take over. Rajapaksa, 73, has urged people to allow for a peaceful transition of power, which he plans to supervise before quitting office.
The leaders of the political parties will be holding a meeting on Sunday, with opposition politicians claiming they have the parliamentary majority to form an interim government. After the president and the prime minister resign formally, Parliament’s Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is expected to take over as acting president as per Sri Lanka’s constitution. On Sunday morning, many protesters were still camping in the president’s official residence. They cooked food, played the piano, and even enjoyed games of card and carrom in the house. Meanwhile, police have arrested more than 3,000 people in connection with the protests on Saturday.