President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of Sri Lankan is resigning after protesters stormed his official residence and refused to leave..On Monday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office said in a statement it had been informed by Mr Rajapaksa that he would step down on Wednesday..However, there has still been no direct word from Mr Rajapaksa..Under Sri Lanka's constitution, his resignation can only formally be accepted when he resigns by letter to the parliament speaker..During the two days of protest, crowds also called for the resignation of Wickremesinghe..According to BBC reports, hundreds of thousands descended on the capital Colombo, calling for Mr Rajapaksa to resign after months of protests over economic mismanagement..On Saturday, Wickremesinghe announced he's willing to step down from office, according to Reuters reports. The announcements come hours after tens of thousands of protesters stormed the president's official residence in Colombo and set fire to the prime minister's residence. ."After Saturday's events, the United States appealed to the Sri Lankan leadership to act promptly to resolve the country's economic crisis," the BBC reported..The announcement triggered an eruption of celebratory fireworks in the city."Political leaders are due to hold further meetings to discuss a smooth transition of power. Sri Lanka's military has appealed to people to cooperate with security forces to maintain calm.".Mr Rajapaksa's current whereabouts are unknown. The BBC was told he's on a navy vessel at sea..Neither the PM nor the president were in the buildings at the time. The political tumult comes after months of demonstrations over the government’s mishandling of the economy..According to Wall Street Journal reports, soldiers were visible around the capital on Monday, but merely looked on from a distance.."Crowds continued to mill around Mr. Rajapaksa’s residence, cooling off in the swimming pool, watching television and lounging on chairs and beds."
