The resignation of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been accepted, stated parliament speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene on Friday morning.

Rajapaksa offered his resignation on Thursday, but the parliament speaker's office stated that they were examining the resignation's legitimacy before accepting it.

Abeywardene stated at a press conference that Rajapaksa's official resignation from his office was received on July 14.

The speaker also stated that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will serve as interim president until the election of a new president in seven days.

Rajapaksa escaped to the Maldives and then to Singapore on Wednesday as the island nation's economic problems worsened. Wednesday, he designated Wickremesinghe to "exercise, perform & discharge the powers, duties & functions of the Office of President with effect from July 13, 2022."

On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry of Singapore announced that Rajapaksa had arrived for "a private visit." The government stated he "has not requested asylum and has also not been given refuge. In general, Singapore does not approve asylum requests."

According to a statement released by the Maldives government on Thursday, a Sri Lanka, Air Force aircraft carrying Rajapaksa and his spouse on a transit visit was granted diplomatic authorization to land on July 13 at Sri Lanka's official request.

Abeywardene announced last Saturday, amidst widespread demonstrations, that the president would resign on July 13.

Thousands of protestors invaded the presidential palace in the capital city of Colombo and set fire to the prime minister's residence before this occurrence.

Protesters have attributed the issue to the political dynasty of Rajapaksa. In May, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president's brother, resigned as prime minister.

Due to a lack of foreign exchange reserves caused by the collapse of its tourism-dependent economy, the 22 million-person island nation has defaulted on its entire foreign debt.

It has been unable to pay for fuel and other necessities, leading to protests against the administration. Insufficient fuel for power stations has resulted in daily power outages. State employees have been asked to work from home as schools have been closed due to inclement weather.

The government is negotiating a bailout package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Months of protests have called for the resignation of Rajapaksa.