Sri Lankan PM Splits From President’s Party in Deepening Political Crisis
Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and 44 former politicians have defected from the party led by President Maithripala Sirisena, splitting with the president barely two weeks after he installed Mr Rajapaksa in office.
Mr Sirisena dissolved Parliament on Friday night and called a general election for January 5 in a move that has drawn international criticism as it is likely to deepen the country’s political crisis.
An intense power struggle has erupted in Sri Lanka in the past two weeks following Mr Sirisena’s sudden sacking of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the appointment of former leader Mr Rajapaksa, a pro-China strongman, in his place.
Mr Rajapaksa and 44 former politicians of the Sirisena-led centreleft Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) on Sunday joined Sri Lanka Podujana Peremuna (SLPP), a political party formed in 2016 by Mr Rajapaksa’s younger brother Basil, a former economy minister. An SLPP source said 65 out of 82 former SLFP MPs will eventually join the new party.
Namal Rajapaksa, an ex-politician and son of Mr Rajapaksa, said the SLFP’s policies had not been pursued by Mr Sirisena in the coalition government with the Wickremesinghe-led centre-right United National Party (UNP).
The SLPP recorded a landslide victory in local polls in February after Mr Rajapaksa backed it. He did that while remaining in the SLFP. Mr Sirisena’s allies said he wanted a SLFP-led government. However, the defections will weaken Mr Sirisena’s more-than-sevendecade old party, they say. Rohana Piyadaya, the SLFP secretary-general declined to comment on the defections.
Mr Sirisena’s move to sack the Parliament has drawn international criticism.
Farhan Haq, the spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement that Mr Guterres had underlined the utmost importance of respecting democratic processes and institutions and resolving differences in accordance with the rule of law and due process.
Mr Sirisena previously defected from the SLFP, then led by Mr Rajapaksa, in 2014 to join an opposition coalition that ousted Mr Rajapaksa.
Later Mr Sirisena re-joined the SLFP, took over its leadership and formed a national government with Mr Wickremesinghe’s party.
However, a rift developed over policy towards China and India —
Mr Wickremesinghe has favoured Indian investment as a counter to Chinese inroads in Sri Lankan infrastructure
projects — and over Mr Sirisena’s intention to contest the 2020 presidential election under
Mr Wickremesinghe’s party.