Acting Prez Sworn In, President's Flag Banned: Top 10 Developments in Sri Lanka

From the president officially resigning to the acting president announcing key changes, catch the top developments.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa is no longer the Sri Lankan president and six-time former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has officially been sworn in as acting president, as of Friday, 15 July.

While some politicians flee and others expand the ambit of their power, the people of Sri Lanka continue to be under the grips of an unprecedented economic crisis – the worst in seven decades. Millions in the country are struggling to buy food, medicines, fuel, and other essentials.

Amid the political drama, unending suffering and the flaring anti-government demonstrations, here are the top 10 developments that unfolded through the day:

1. Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as acting president by Sri Lankan Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya. In a brief press statement, the speaker said that Ranil will serve as president until a new leader is elected.

2. Shortly after, Wickremesinghe announced that the term 'His Excellency' will no longer be used for the president. He also abolished the president's flag "since the country needs only one national flag."

3. These key measures are a part of his plan to reinstate the 19th Amendment to the country's constitution, which dilutes the powers of the executive presidency.

4. He said that a committee comprising tri-forces and police had been appointed to restore law and order. He also announced increased security for MPs amid pressures to elect a new president soon.

5. Sri Lankan Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena formally announced Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation as the country's president. He later issued a gazette confirming this.

6. Rajapaksa, had emailed his resignation on Thursday, 14 July, after he reached Singapore. He had fled to the Maldives before that on 12 July.

7. Amid protests in Maldives against granting refuge to Rajapaksa, the Maldivian government said that it had granted "diplomatic clearance for a transit visit."

8. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court barred former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Minister Basil Rajapaksa from leaving the country without court permission until 28 July.

9. The Sri Lankan Parliament will meet on 16 July and finish the presidential electoral process within seven days, the speaker said. A new president will be elected on 20 July.

10. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the ruling party in the country, announced its support for Wickremesinghe in the elections on 20 July.