Sri Lanka's parliament reconvened on Saturday, kicking off a process to select a new president after Gotabaya Rajapaksa officially resigned on Friday after fleeing to Singapore following mass protests over an economic meltdown.

Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dassanayake formally read out Rajapaksa's resignation letter.

In the letter, Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka's financial crisis was rooted in years of economic mismanagement that pre-dated his presidency and in the COVID-19 pandemic that drastically reduced Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals and remittances from foreign workers.

"It is my personal belief that I took all possible steps to address this crisis, including inviting parliamentarians to form an all-party or unity government," the letter said.

Sri Lanka's parliament will next meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday to accept nominations for the post of the president. 

A vote will be held on the following day if more than one candidate submits nominations, Dassanayake said. 

(With input from Reuters)