Sri Lankan President Raja Paksha's resignation accepted, protesters celebrate

 The Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament has said that the resignation of President Gotabhaya Raja Paksha has been accepted.

According to the French news agency AFP, Mahinda Yapa Abiurdana told reporters that Gotabaya Raja Paksha had resigned, which was accepted on Thursday.

The Sri Lankan president had informed the speaker from Singapore that he was resigning after leaving the country.

Mahinda Yapa Abiurdana said, "From now on, we will move towards the election of a new president constitutionally."

Sri Lankans were awaiting the announcement of his resignation after the president left the country after fierce protests.

It is believed that protests against the government had started over the economic crisis that had been going on for a few months and the situation was being described as the result of the incompetence of the government.

Earlier, the Speaker of Parliament had said that the resignation of the President had been received by e-mail and would be confirmed before a formal announcement.

Raja Paksha is the first president of the country to resign. The presidential system was introduced in Sri Lanka in 1978.

Following the news of the resignation on Thursday, some people also celebrated at the beach where the protests began.

It may be recalled that on July 13, President Gotabaya Raja Paksha left the country. Government sources confirmed his arrival in the Maldives.

Reuters news agency quoted sources as saying that he had decided to resign a few hours before leaving the country.

Immigration officials told Reuters that Raja Paksha left the country on an Air Force plane with his wife and two bodyguards.

Government sources also said that it is more likely that Raja Paksha will move from there to another Asian country.

Raja Picasa decided to resign last week after thousands of protesters stormed the Prime Minister's House.

According to the report, the president had not been seen anywhere in the country since Friday.

Sources close to the Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abe Wardana, have said that he has not yet contacted Raja Paksha, while sources close to Raja Paksha say that he had tendered his resignation to the Speaker on Wednesday.

Similarly, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has also offered to resign, after the Sri Lankan constitution, in which case the speaker will be made acting president until a new president is elected.

Earlier, Abe Vardana had said that a session of parliament would be convened on Friday and the election of a new president would be carried out.

Raja Paksha's family, to which Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa also belongs, has dominated the country's politics for years and a large number of Sri Lankans blame him for the current problems.

It is believed that rumors of Gotabaya Raja Paksha leaving the country had been circulating since Tuesday night.

According to AFP, a Sri Lankan defense official said the 73-year-old president had been transferred to a safe place under the Sri Lankan navy after protesters stormed the presidential palace.