Sri Lankan former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was seen inside the parliament building as fellow parliamentarians were voting to elect the next president.
Mahinda Rajapaksa also cast his vote along with former minister Namal Rajapaksa, former speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, Thilak Rajapaksa, Shasheendra Rajapaksa and Gunathilaka Rajapaksa, all of who are related to Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa who fled to Singapore.
It was rumored that the Rajapaksas fled the country but Mahinda Rajapaksa was seen in the parliament along with the other members of the Rajapaksa clan seated in the front row.
Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa asked his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa to step down from his post after protesters demanded that the Rajapaksa clan steer clear of Sri Lankan politics as they held them accountable for the economic collapse they find themselves in.
Earlier this month, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Ioma Rajapaksa, Basil Rajapaksa and other members of the Rajapaksa family fled the country fearing reprisal from the angered protesters.
Maldivian leader Nasheed paved way for them to land in Maldives capital Male and after staying there for some period the Rajapaksa family fled to Singapore.
The Sri Lankan parliament at the time of writing this report is voting to elect the nation’s new president.
Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP), Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s (SLPP) Dullas Alahapperuma are contenders for the next president for the island-nation.
Once elected, the winner will face the challenge of reshaping the economy as millions of people suffer due to shortages of food, fuel, medicine and essential items.
There are speculations that Dullas Alahapperuma could be elected president after he gained support of one of SLPP factions. Former foreign minister GL Peiris and opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader Sajitha Premadasa.
However, Ranil Wickremesinghe, a close aide of the Rajapaksas is also in the fray as some sections of the SLPP and as well as the opposition SJB and factions within the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) also said that they would back the former prime minister who remains unpopular to many Sri Lankans.
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