President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his spouse left aboard a Sri Lankan air pressure aircraft certain for the Maldives, the air pressure stated in a press release.
Later, Mr Rajapaksa appointed the prime minister because the appearing president, based on the speaker of the parliament.
The president of Sri Lanka has fled the nation, slipping away in the course of the evening hours earlier than he promised to step down beneath strain from protesters offended over a devastating financial disaster that has triggered extreme shortages of meals and gasoline.
Mr Rajapaksa had agreed to resign beneath strain.
However the disaster is way from over, with protesters demanding that Mr Wickremesinghe additionally go instantly.
He had stated he would go away as soon as a brand new authorities was in place.
1000’s of protesters moved into his workplace on Wednesday after seizing different authorities buildings in current days.
Teams may very well be seen scaling the wall and getting into the workplace because the crowds roared in help, cheering them on and waving the Sri Lankan flag.
Police used tear fuel to attempt to disperse the group however failed and increasingly marched down the lane and in direction of the workplace.
The prime minister’s workplace declared a nationwide state of emergency and imposed a curfew in a part of the nation.
The president’s departure adopted months of demonstrations that culminated on Saturday in protesters storming his dwelling and workplace and the official residence of his prime minister.
The protests have all however dismantled his household’s political dynasty, which dominated Sri Lanka for many of the previous 20 years.
On Wednesday morning, Sri Lankans continued to stream into the presidential palace.
A rising line of individuals waited to enter the residence, lots of whom had travelled from exterior Colombo on public transport.
“What Rajapaksa did — flee the nation — is a timid act,” stated Bhasura Wickremesinghe, a 24-year-old pupil of maritime electrical engineering, who got here with mates.
