Despite the Speaker announcing on Saturday night that the President would resign on Wednesday, there was uncertainty if he would actually step down from his post. However, in a discussion held with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe following the nationwide protest on Saturday, Rajapaksa had confirmed he would end his presidency on July 13, thereby allowing Wickremesinghe or a new leader to be sworn in. The whereabouts of President Rajapaksa is still unknown.

 

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 halfways especially since talks with the IMF were ongoing.

 

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa also held separate discussions after Saturday's riots and even hinted to his inner circle that if he is elected as the President then his likely candidate for the Prime Minister would be Dullas Allahapperuma. However, as of last evening, Sajith was yet to secure the majority support of Parliament.

If Wickremesinghe continues in office, he will be sworn in as the President on Wednesday following Rajapaksa's resignation and till a Presidential election is held, he will concentrate on finalizing a deal with the IMF and restoring some kind of economic normalcy. It is still unsure who will be Wickremesinghe's Prime Ministerial candidate but he is likely to allow Parliament to nominate a suitable candidate.

 

If Wickremesinghe resigns, then Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will be temporarily sworn in as the President on Wednesday for a period of 30 days during which Parliament will select a new President - any candidate who has majority support.

 

Today the Prime Minister will call for a cabinet meeting in the evening and discuss the fuel shipments and foreign delegations which are due to arrive in the country this week. President Rajapaksa is likely to join the cabinet meeting via conference.

 

Political sources said that those ministers who submitted their resignations will continue in their portfolios as none of the resignations has been accepted by the President.

 

Harin Fernando, Manusha Nanayakkara, Dhammika Perera and Bandula Gunawardena were those who resigned from their ministerial portfolios over the weekend but they have been informed to attend the cabinet meeting today as their resignations have been rejected.

 

Following the cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister has called for an All Party Leaders meeting to discuss the ongoing crisis and seek a solution soon. (JAMILA HUSAIN)