Colombo, July 13: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country for the Maldives on a military aircraft, an air force spokesman said on television, hours ahead of his expected resignation on Wednesday.    

The Sri Lankan Air Force provided an aircraft for the 73-year-old leader to leave the country following a decision by the security council, Air Force spokesman Group Captain Dushan Wijesinghe said on local television. 

Wijesinghe said a request had come in from the current government and was approved by the Ministry of Defense. Rajapaksa left with his wife and two bodyguards. 

The BBC had earlier reported that Rajapaksa arrived in Male, the capital of the Maldives, at around 3:00 a.m. local time, citing unidentified people. Former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa also left Sri Lanka and is expected to be heading to the US, the report said.

Rajapaksa finally relented to demands to step down over the weekend after thousands of protesters stormed his official residence in dramatic scenes. For months demonstrators have called for his ouster over financial mismanagement that led to surging prices and shortages of essential goods like food and fuel. 

However, he has yet to send in his resignation letter, according to people familiar with the matter. Rajapaksa had told the speaker and the prime minister earlier this week he will step down on Wednesday.

Opposition parties in Sri Lanka are seeking to cobble together an all-party government and pick candidates who can take over after from Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who also agreed to step down. Parliament will meet on July 15, nominations will be called on July 19 and a vote for president will be held the following day, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said on Monday.

Sri Lanka is currently seeking bridge financing to restore the flow of food and fuel to the population as it negotiates with the International Monetary Fund on a longer-term loan program to stabilize the nation’s finances.-Agencies