Acting Sri Lankan President Cancels Presidential Flag, 'Your Excellency' Title - Reports

Acting Sri Lankan President Cancels Presidential Flag, 'Your Excellency' Title - Reports

Acting Shri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe canceled the use of a presidential flag and official address as 'Your Excellency,' national media outlets reported on Friday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2022) Acting Shri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe canceled the use of a presidential flag and official address as 'Your Excellency,' national media outlets reported on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was appointed as the acting president after the authorities received� letter of resignation from ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa through Sri Lanka's High Commission in Singapore, where he fled to earlier in the week following mass protests.

According to Adaderana news portal, in his speech after being sworn in, Wickremesinghe stated that the country needs only one flag, adding that the president will no longer be addressed as "Your Excellency."

Wickremesinghe further said that he would not allow the Sri Lankan constitution to be violated and called on all political parties to join their efforts and work together for the benefit of the country, the media reported.

According to the news portal, Wickremesinghe also announced increased security for members of parliament during preparations for the parliamentary vote to elect the country's new president.

Sri Lanka will elect a new president on July 20 during a parliament session.

Last weekend, Colombo, Sri Lanka's commercial capital, was rocked by thousand-strong protests, caused by public dissatisfaction with the government's inefficiency in fighting the economic crisis. Following the unrest, Wickremesinghe called an emergency meeting of political party leaders, who demanded that both the prime minister and president resign immediately.

On Wednesday, Rajapaksa arrived in the Maldives after fleeing Sri Lanka. The very next day, he traveled to Singapore. The Singaporean authorities said that the outgoing Sri Lankan leader had not asked for an asylum and had not been granted one.