Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has agreed to step down on 13th July (Wednesday) , the  parliamentary speaker, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, announced late night Saturday after a dramatic day that saw tens of thousands of protesters storming the presidential office and residence and the prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s  home being set on fire.

Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said in a televised statement Saturday that he informed Rajapaksa of a decision taken at a meeting of Parliamentary party leaders requesting he leave office, and he agreed.

 “To ensure a peaceful transition, the president said he will step down on July 13,” Abeywardana said in a televised statement.

Rajapaksa will remain as president until Wednesday to ensure a smooth transfer of power, Abeywardena said.

“The decision to step down on 13 July was taken to ensure a peaceful handover of power,” he said.

“I therefore request the public to respect the law and maintain peace,” he added.

According to sources, the President had informed his decision to the Speaker in a private communique and had sought time till Wednesday as a transition period to hand over the pending official work.

Earlier in the evening, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had offered to resign to quell the growing unrest.

On Wednesday, if the Prime Minister also tenders his resignation, the Speaker will be made President for a period of 30 days during which the Parliament will elect a new President. 

 Earlier in the day, thousands of people carrying the yellow and red Sri Lankan flag marched toward the president’s home chanting “Gota, go home.” The police fired tear gas to deter the marchers. But they swept past the police officers and breached the barricades to reach the president’s office and residence. Visuals from local media showed people roaming through the president’s house taking selfies or taking a dip in the swimming pool. Others made their way into the kitchen and were seen cooking. In the president’s gym, some tried out the weights while others were seen running on treadmills.