LANKA PREZ NOT TO REAPPOINT OUSTED PREMIER

Colombo, Nov. 25: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday reignited the power struggle that has crippled Sri Lanka’s government for more than a month, vowing never to reappoint arch-rival Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister.

Wickremesinghe’s party has a majority in Parliament and Sirisena’s bid to replace him with the country’s former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse has already failed.

But Sirisena choked back tears in a meeting with foreign correspondents as he accused Wickremesinghe of being “highly corrupt”.

“Even if the UNP has the majority I told them not to bring Ranil Wickremesinghe before me, I will not make him prime minister,” he said, referring to Wickremesinghe’s United National Party.

“Not in my lifetime,” he added in comments that the UNP said showed the president uses Sri Lanka like his own “private coconut estate”.

Sirisena dismissed Wickremesinghe following a host of personality and political clashes since they formed a coalition in 2015.

He named Rajapakse as new premier and tried to dissolve Parliament but the Supreme Court and legislators blocked the moves.

Wickremesinghe, who continues to occupy the Prime Minister’s residence, and Rajapakse, who has the premier’s official offices, have both refused to back down.

That has left the country officially without a prime minister, heightening international fears about Sri Lanka’s stability and looming foreign debt repayments. Sirisena said at his official residence that he will appoint a commission to investigate corruption under Wickremesinghe since January 2015. — AFP