Amid the crisis, Sri Lanka will elect a new president on July 20

() — Sri Lanka will elect a new president on July 20, following the resumption of parliament on July 16, Parliament Speaker Yapa Abeywardena said in a statement on Monday.

Candidates for the top job will be presented to parliament from July 19, before a vote is held to choose the new president a day later, according to Abeywardena.

The timetable was agreed during a meeting between Sri Lankan party leaders in Colombo on Monday, with the aim of ensuring that a new all-party unity government is in place as soon as possible, in accordance with Sri Lanka’s constitution. Lanka.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his entire cabinet have already resigned to pave the way for an interim all-party government.

Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe announced they would resign on July 13, after tens of thousands of protesters stormed their residences on Saturday, angered by the country’s crippling economic crisis.