Sri Lanka’s president fled the country early Wednesday, slipping away only hours before he promised to step down under pressure from protesters angry over economic chaos that has triggered severe shortages of food and fuel.
But the crisis that has gripped the island nation for months was far from over: Thousands of protesters demanding that the prime minster also resign rallied outside his office and some stormed the compound, as they have other official buildings in recent days. The prime minister declared a nationwide state of emergency.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife left aboard a Sri Lankan Air Force plane bound for the Maldives, the air force said in a statement. Later, Rajapaksa appointed the prime minister as the acting president, according to the speaker of the parliament.
“What Rajapaksa did — flee the country — is a timid act,” said Bhasura Wickremesinghe, a 24-year-old student of maritime electrical engineering. “I’m not celebrating. There’s no point celebrating. We have nothing in this country at the moment.”
