Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled his crisis-stricken nation in response to anti-government riots, appeared to be stranded in the Maldives on Thursday (July 14), despite claims that he attempted to fly to Singapore or Dubai.

The Daily Mirror of Sri Lanka stated that Mr. Rajapaksa did not join a commercial jet to Singapore on Wednesday night because he was uncomfortable flying with civilian passengers.

Mr. Rajapaksa escaped Sri Lanka early Wednesday morning and arrived in Male, the capital of the Maldives, aboard an Air Force jet with his wife and two security officers. According to reports, he intended to depart the Maldives for various cities, including Singapore and Dubai.

According to accounts, he could not fly to the United States because the government denied him a visa. He held dual citizenship until he gave up his American passport to qualify for the 2019 presidential election.

Mr. Rajapaksa was scheduled to quit on Wednesday formally, but despite his earlier vow, he has not yet done so.

After landing in Singapore, he could send his resignation to the Speaker of Parliament, according to a Sri Lankan government source cited by Reuters.

The president, who fled his mansion before demonstrators stormed it on July 9, had pledged to resign "to ensure a peaceful transition of power."

The Speaker of the Parliament reported that hours after he fled to the Maldives, the besieged leader named Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was acting president in his absence.

"Because of his absence from the country, President Rajapaksa told me that he has appointed the prime minister to act as the president in line with the constitution," said speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana in a brief broadcast statement.

In response to the announcement, protesters stormed Mr. Wickremesinghe's office and demanded his resignation.

The interim president imposed a statewide curfew and a state of emergency until Thursday am.

Suren Fernando, a constitutional lawyer, stated that according to the Sri Lankan constitution, Mr. Wickremesinghe may serve as president until Mr. Rajapaksa's tenure expires in November 2024.

But Mr. Wickremesinghe has pledged that July 20 will see the election of a president.

Mr. Wickremesinghe stated, "We cannot tear up the Constitution," adding that some forces, supported by politicians, were attempting to attain their interests by fomenting turmoil. He did not identify anyone.

He spoke on a private television channel on Wednesday after demonstrators seized control of the public broadcaster Rupavahini.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, hundreds of demonstrators were still gathering outside the presidential secretariat, the prime minister's office, and Parliament.

Mr. Jaliya Dissanayake, a 26-year-old protestor with a respiratory problem, reportedly died of asphyxiation last night after being subjected to tear gas while participating in a demonstration near the prime minister's office on Flower Road in Colombo.

Wednesday night, protestors attacked two ambulances responding to emergency calls near the Parliament.

Mr. Dumindra Ratnayaka, chairman of the 1990 Suwa Seriya Foundation, which operates the ambulances, tweeted that "staff were harassed" with the implication that they were Mr. Wicremesinghe's people.

"We will stop responding to Aragalaya locations if one more is attacked!" he declared. Sri Lankans refer to the ongoing anti-government demonstrations as Aragalaya.

As the unpopular president and prime minister refuse to resign, politicians from all parties have emphasized the nation's dangerously hazardous condition.

Just after midnight in Sri Lanka, parliamentarian and economist Harsha de Silva of the main opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) tweeted a photo of President Rajapaksa with a cross drawn on it.

"It is 00:00 which indicates Gotabaya Rajapaksa lied. PM and so-called "acting president" claimed that the resignation letter would be received by July 13's end. Your actions will result in bloodshed and the demise of democracy in Sri Lanka "He sent a tweet.

Former media minister Dullas Alahapperuma, the presidential nominee of an independent faction within Mr. Rajapaksa's People's Party, hoped that all leaders would adhere to the agreement reached on July 9 to form a cross-party government following the resignations of the president and prime minister and the election of new leaders on July 20.

On Friday, parties will present their presidential candidates to the Speaker, who will conduct presidential elections on July 20.

"The continuing unrest will worsen the longer it continues. Then no one can prevent Sri Lanka's descent into lawlessness "he warned.

Similarly, hundreds of people gathered outside Male airport in the Maldives to demand that President Rajapaksa be denied asylum.

Former Maldives foreign minister released a video statement announcing that her Maldives National Party will introduce a motion in Parliament criticizing President Ibrahim Solih's decision to "bringing Mr Rajapaksa" to the country without "respecting the wishes of the Sri Lankan people."

Sri Lanka has exhausted its supply of gasoline, staple foods, and life-saving medications. It necessitates a stable government to provide quick relief, halt the escalation of inflation to 55 percent, negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout, and shore up its dollar reserves to import essentials.