As unrest over the economic crisis continues, lawmakers have extended the executive's emergency powers. Meanwhile, Singapore extended former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's permission to stay.

Despite objections by opposition lawmakers, Sri Lanka's Parliament on Wednesday extended the country's state of emergency for a month.

Lawmakers voted 120 to 63 in favor of the extension.

The state of emergency was declared as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country earlier this month after mass unrest over the island nation's economic crisis.

His successor, acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe, made the emergency decree to help stabilize the situation.

Constitutionally, the state of emergency needed to be passed in Parliament within two weeks of the presidential declaration if it was to be continued.

A state of emergency allows troops to arrest and detain suspects and the president to make regulations overriding existing laws to deal with any unrest.

Singapore extends Rajapaksa's stay

Also on Wednesday, two sources familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency that Singapore would allow Rajapaksa to stay for an additional 14 days.

He and his wife flew to the Maldives and then to Singapore.

A short-term visit pass was issued when Rajapaksa arrived on a private visit two weeks ago, but it has now been extended to August 11.

At the time, Singapore's government said he had not been granted asylum and was in the country on a private visit.

On Tuesday, Sri Lanka's Cabinet spokesperson, Bandula Gunawardena, told reporters that Rajapaksa was expected to return home.

The International Truth and Justice Project, an NGO based in South Africa, said on Sunday that it was seeking Rajapaksa's arrest for crimes committed during the country's 2009 civil war. The Rajapaksa family's role in that conflict helped explain how it came to dominate Sri Lankan politics in the subsequent years, with Gotabaya a senior military officer before starting his political career.