Sri Lankan Opposition leader withdraws presidential candidacy

Sri Lanka's main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa withdrew from the country's presidential election Tuesday in favour of a ruling party dissident.

Minutes before nominations formally opened Premadasa tweeted that "for the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish" his party will support Dullas Alahapperuma, a former media minister, to replace Gotabaya Rajapaksa who resigned last week.

Three candidates were nominated Tuesday to replace former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country and resigned last week over the island's worsening economic crisis.

The parliament announced that acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe will face former education minister Dullas Alahapperuma -- who has the backing of the main opposition -- and leftist leader Anura Dissanayake in a secret ballot on Wednesday.