Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe has been sworn in as acting president as the country faces an economic crisis and unrest, the BBC reported.

He succeeded Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled to Singapore after unprecedented mass protests in which demonstrators seized the presidential palace.

Protesters broke curfew to celebrate his resignation at night.

The process of electing a new president by parliament will begin on Saturday, with a vote of deputies likely to take place a week later.

Given that the ruling party has a majority, it is believed that MPs will support Wickramasinghe, who has close ties to the Rajapaksa family.

But whether the Sri Lankan public will agree is another question, since Wickramasinghe's resignation as prime minister was one of the protesters' main demands.

Sri Lanka is in economic chaos, facing severe shortages of food, fuel and other basic commodities.

Earlier this week, crowds stormed the former prime minister's residence and clashed with security forces.

Meanwhile, Singapore claims that ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa did not ask for political asylum when he arrived there.

The former president, who arrived with his wife and two bodyguards, no longer has the legal immunity of a head of state, and his position is increasingly precarious as he tries to find a safe country for asylum.

He is expected to stay in Singapore for some time and then possibly move to the United Arab Emirates, security sources in Sri Lanka told AFP.