Colombo

Voting is underway in Sri Lanka to elect a new president following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa amid an unprecedented economic crisis that has led to a shortage of fuel and other essential commodities in the country.

Acting Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is among the top three candidates in the election.

225 members of Parliament are eligible to vote and participate in the secret ballot.

The other two candidates are SLPP parliamentarian Dullas Alahaperuma and National People's Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Sri Lanka's main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday withdrew his candidature from the presidential race and said he is supporting rival candidate Dullas Alahapperuma for the top post.

The election has been necessitated following former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation on July 14 after he fled the country to Singapore.

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Rajapaksa first flew to the Maldives after tens of thousands of protesters stormed his official residence in Colombo on July 9.