Strongman Rajapaksa resigns after 7 weeks as PM

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Saturday, his son and a party lawmaker told Reuters, seven weeks after President Maithripala Sirisena appointed him in controversial circumstances.

His son Namal Rajapaksa, also a lawmaker, said his father would make a special statement at 0830 GMT

"He just signed the resignation letter in front of party members," Shehan Semasinghe, a legislator from Rajapaksa's party, told Reuters.