EU Expects Sri Lanka to Elect President on July 20, Calls for Peaceful Power Transition

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Union expects the Sri Lankan parliament to elect a new president on July 20, and is calling on the country's political parties to cooperate on a peaceful democratic transition of power, EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said on Tuesday.

"We are taking note of the decision of the president at interim to order the declaration of the state of emergency, and we expect that the parliament will elect a new president tomorrow. All parties should cooperate and focus on peaceful democratic and orderly transition for the benefit of the country and the people," Stano said during a midday briefing of the European Commission.

On July 9, Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital, was rocked by thousand-strong protests, caused by public dissatisfaction with the government's inefficiency in fighting the economic crisis. Following the unrest, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called an emergency meeting of political party leaders, who demanded that both the prime minister and president resign immediately.

The election of the new Sri Lankan president will be held on July 20 in the country's parliament. The elected president will serve as head of state until the expiration of his predecessor's term in 2024.