Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has announced he will step down after protesters stormed his official residence and set the Prime Minister’s house on fire.
Protesters broke into the presidential palace in the capital Colombo on Saturday during demonstrations over the country’s worsening economic crisis.
Neither the Prime Minister nor the president were in the buildings. They had been moved elsewhere by security officials.
Videos circulating on social media show crowds taking a swim in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s pool.
More than 100,000 people amassed outside, calling for the country’s leaders to resign after months of protests over accusations of economic mismanagement.
The speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament says Mr Rajapaksa has agreed to resign Wednesday, 13 July “to ensure a peaceful handover of power”.
Footage appeared to show the president fleeing the country aboard a Navy Vessel.
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also put out a statement on Twitter and said he was willing to resign and make way for an all-party government to take over.
The decision of both the president and prime minister to step down follows a meeting of party leaders, held by Sri Lanka’s parliament speaker.
