Sri Lankan President to step down from the presidency on July 13-speaker

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa plans to step down from the presidency on July 13 the speaker of the country's parliament said on Saturday, just hours after protesters stormed into the presidential house to protest over a financial crisis. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, in a video statement, said that Rajapaksa has informed him that he would step down from his post on Wednesday. "The decision to step down on 13 July was taken to ensure a peaceful handover of power," Abeywardena said.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa plans to step down from the presidency on July 13 the speaker of the country's parliament said on Saturday, just hours after protesters stormed into the presidential house to protest over a financial crisis.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, in a video statement, said that Rajapaksa has informed him that he would step down from his post on Wednesday. "The decision to step down on 13 July was taken to ensure a peaceful handover of power," Abeywardena said. "I therefore request the public to respect the law and maintain peace (Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Alex Richardson)