[13] After retiring as Permanent Secretary following Mahinda's electoral defeat in 2015, Rajapaksa contested for the presidency in the country's 2019 presidential election as a candidate of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), which he won, securing 52.25% of the popular vote.

[14] Assuming the office in 2019, he re-instated Mahinda as prime minister, later installing several members of his family to multiple portfolios within his government, following the SLPP's thumping victory in the 2020 parliamentary elections.

[15] Confronted with an intensifying economic crisis aggravated by financial mismanagement, tax cuts, rising external debt and over-dependence on foreign remittances coupled with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country began to face shortages of basic necessities, such as fuel, gas and electricity.

[17] In the early hours of 9 July, following multiple intelligence inputs indicating that anti-government demonstrations scheduled for later that day were likely to spiral out of control, Rajapaksa and his family were hastily evacuated from the President's House by armed military units.

[21][22] After being escorted to safety within the country's territorial waters, Rajapaksa telephoned Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, informing him of his intention to resign on 13 July.

[27] However, at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Rajapaksa and his 14-member entourage, which had intended to board SriLankan Airlines UL225 on an 18:25 SLST flight to Dubai, were blocked by immigration officials refusing to process their passports given to them by presidential aides.

[31] On the morning of 13 July, a small delegation consisting of Rajapaksa, his wife, and two security officials were evacuated by an Antonov An-32 military transport aircraft operated by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) to the Maldives.

[32] Amidst intensifying outrage over his escape, the SLAF later clarified that the evacuation was conducted on the request of the Sri Lankan government in accordance with the president's constitutional powers, with the support of the Ministry of Defense.

[48][49] Notably, Rajapaksa's choice to retreat to Singapore was attributed to the fact that he, along with his elder brother Mahinda, had frequently travelled to the city-state multiple times prior for their respective medical examinations.

[50] Shortly after Rajapaksa arrival, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) issued a strict warning against any possible demonstrations, cautioning any would-be protestors of severe consequences.

[52] However, irrespective of the anger shown towards Rajapaksa's presence in Singapore, several Singaporeans argued that his visit wasn't controversial, observing that he was still a legitimate passport-holder and not a wanted fugitive at the time of his arrival.

[57] In addition to Sangrat's clarification, Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also confirmed Rajapaksa's impending visit, asserting that his entry had been granted on humanitarian grounds, on the condition that he does not conduct any political activities in the country.

[58] Additionally, Thailand's foreign minister, Don Pramudwinai, clarified that Rajapaksa's status as a diplomatic passport holder would grant him the ability to stay in the country for 90 days, adding that the Sri Lankan government did not oppose his visit.

[46][60] Abeywardena's office announced the development later that evening; nonetheless, it stated that Rajapaksa's email would not be accepted, asserting that it required a paper copy of the resignation, for legal verification.

[69] Wickremesinghe, a longtime member of parliament (MP) and the leader of the center-right United National Party (UNP), had previously served as Sri Lanka's prime minister on six separate occasions between 1994 and 2022, the most recent stint being in May 2022, when he was appointed to the office following the resignation of his predecessor, Mahinda Rajapaksa, in the wake of escalating anti-government protests.

[74] However, Wickremesinghe, who had grown unpopular amongst many over his mishandling of the 2019 Easter bombings, his contentious relationship with former president Maithripala Sirisena and his inefficiency to stimulate the nation's economic plight – all of which had occurred during his previous stints as prime minister, was repudiated by protestors over the news of his appointment.

[81][82] Two days later, on 19 August, several media outlets reported that Rajapaksa had planned to procure a green card to emigrate to the United States, on account of his wife's status as a US citizen.

[85] On 13 July, hours after Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives, India's High Commission in Sri Lanka dismissed several reports accusing the Indian government of having facilitated his escape, deeming them as "baseless and speculative".

[90] On 20 July, the scheduled date of Sri Lanka's interim presidential election, India's High Commission categorically denied reports alleging Indian involvement in influencing the polls, branding them as "baseless and purely speculative".

[94] In addition to Davey's comments, other opposition MPs, including Catherine West, Stella Creasy and Stephen Timms highlighted numerous human-rights abuses that had occurred during the Rajapaksa family regime, questioning Sri Lanka's non-compliance on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

[93] Responding to questions over the conduct of the Rajapaksa government, Amanda Milling, the Minister of State for Asia and the Middle East, maintained a neutral stance, calling for restraint amongst Sri Lankans.