SRI Lanka’s acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a nationwide state of emergency with immediate effect, reported Xinhua.

A special gazette notice said Wickremesinghe called for the state of emergency in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community.

Sri Lanka’s parliament is scheduled to elect a new president on Wednesday, following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who flew to Singapore via the Maldives, amid a severe economic crisis in the South Asian country.

Nominations for the presidential candidates will be called tomorrow. – Bernama, July 18, 2022.