Colombo

Sri Lanka's acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared a nationwide state of emergency with effect from Monday.

Acting President Wickremesinghe declared the emergency in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community, a special gazette notification said.

The emergency has been declared in a proclamation by Acting President Wickremesinghe in terms of Article 40(1)(C) of the Constitution, by virtue of the powers vested in him by Section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance (Chapter 40), as amended by Act No. 8 of 1959, Law No. 6 of 1978 and Act No. 28 of 1988, Daily Mirror reported.

Nominations for the presidential candidates will be held on Tuesday and the new President of Sri Lanka will be elected on July 20.

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Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned after fleeing the country to Singapore via the Maldives, amid a severe crisis in the island country.