Sri Lankan parliament suspended
Sirisena discontinues session after sacking PM
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena suspended parliament till Nov 16, a day after removing Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and replacing him with former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa in a surprise move that signals escalating political tensions in the South Asian nation.
“The president has prorogued the parliament,” Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne told reporters yesterday.
Minutes earlier, Wickremesinghe, who says he remains prime minister, urged the Speaker to convene parliament to prove he retained his parliamentary majority.
“I have the majority in the parliament, convene the parliament to resolve this,” Wickremesinghe told a press conference in Colombo, flanked by all his coalition partners except Sirisena’s party.
“Only parliament can show who has the majority,” he said.
The parliament suspension means Wickremesinghe will not immediately have an opportunity to prove his majority, amid speculation that some of his party members would cross over to back Rajapaksa for perks and ministerial portfolios.
The island nation’s Media and Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera on Friday condemned Rajapaksa’s appointment as “an anti-democratic coup” and violation of the constitution.
A delegation of the European Union said yesterday that it was closely following the events in Sri Lanka.
“We urge all parties to fully act in accordance with Sri Lanka’s constitu- tion, to refrain from violence, to follow due institutional process, to respect the independence of institutions, and freedom of media.”
Sirisena administered the oath of office to Rajapaksa on Friday after sacking Wickremesinghe, who was away touring the south of the country.
Under Sri Lanka’s constitution, the prime minister heads parliament and the president has executive powers.
The political rift follows months of infighting in the ruling coalition.
Relations between Wickremesinghe’s United National Party and Sirisena’s United People’s Freedom Alliance have been strained recently after Sirisena criticised Wickremesinghe for not adequately investigating an assassination plot against the president. — Reuters