Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has tendered his resignation, hours after fleeing to Singapore, a spokesman for the speaker of parliament said, Reuters reported.

The announcement sparked jubilation in Colombo, where protesters gathered outside the presidential secretariat, breaking a citywide curfew.

The crowd fired firecrackers, shouted slogans and danced enthusiastically. "The whole country will celebrate today," Damitha Abeyrathne, an activist, said. "It's a big victory."

A spokeswoman for the speaker said Rajapaksa submitted his resignation via e-mail late Thursday night and it will become official Friday after the document is legally vetted.

Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on Wednesday and headed to Singapore on a Saudi Arabian airline flight on Thursday.