Courtesy Adaderana

The name of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appeared in the Quarterly Publication of the United States Federal Register of Individuals Who Have Chosen to Expatriate.

The list containing the names of the individuals who have renounced their citizenship was published in the official website of the US Federal Register today (08).

The US citizenship of President Rajapaksa came under scrutiny last year, especially in the months leading to the presidential election in November, as Sri Lanka’s laws do not allow dual citizens or non-citizens to contest national elections.

Political opponents, certain media reports and social media posts alleged that President Rajapaksa had not successfully renounced his citizenship since his name was not listed in the Federal Register.

The US Embassy in Sri Lanka, speaking on the matter, had previously stated that renunciation of US citizenship by an individual might take several months to be published in the Federal Register

Accordingly, this latest publication proves that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is no longer a citizen of the United States and does not hold dual citizenship.