Sri Lanka begins choosing leader to replace exiled ex-president Rajapaksa

Sri Lankan celebrate as they react to early reports of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, July 14, 2022. Embattled Rajapaksa fled a day earlier under pressure from demonstrators furious over the island nation’s economic collapse. He finally emailed his resignation Thursday, a day later than promised, according to an official. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Sri Lankan legislators have met to begin choosing a new leader to serve the rest of the term abandoned by the president who fled abroad and resigned after mass protests over the country’s economic collapse.

A day earlier, Sri Lanka’s prime minister was sworn in as interim president until parliament elects a successor to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose term ends in 2024.