Sri Lanka president calls for snap polls

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka plunged deeper into crisis Saturday after President Maithripala Sirisena called a snap election, leaving the country facing a further two months of damaging political paralysis with a pair of bitter rivals claiming to run his government.

In what opponents condemned as an illegal move, Sirisena dissolved parliament on Friday and announced a January election after it became clear his designated prime minister — former president Mahinda Rajapakse — would not be able to command a

Rakapakse and ousted premier Ranil Wikremesinghe, who has refused to leave his post, have been battling for power for two weeks as international concern grows over the mounting turmoil in the stra-

Sirisena signed a decree dismissing the island’s 225-member assembly and scheduled parliamentary elections for January 5, nearly

In a bid to head off any revolt against his action he also sus-

There was no immediate comment from Wickremesinghe, but

said

it

will challenge

Sirisena’s

“This dissolution by the President is illegal and goes against the constitution,” the UNP said on

to ensure that democracy reigns

“He has robbed the people of their rights and the democracy that

Sirisena had come under increased international pressure from the United States, the United Nations and the European Union to allow parliament to vote on which prime minister

Washington

swiftly

criticized

“The US is deeply concerned by news the Sri Lanka parliament will be dissolved, further deepening the political crisis,” the US State Department said in a statement

“As a committed partner of Sri Lanka, we believe democratic institutions and processes need to be respected to ensure stability and

Sirisena’s United People’s Free-

ahead of the president’s stunning announcement that they had failed to secure enough cross-over

By avoiding a

test of his ma-

Rajapakse will remain caretaker prime minister until elections are concluded and a new parliament

Before signing the order sacking the parliament with effect from Friday midnight, Sirisena also inducted

“At the moment we have 104 or 105 MPs,” UPFA spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters, adding that the Sirisena-Rajapakse group hoped to secure support

The admission, which came despite Sirisena’s earlier claim that he had the support of 113 legislators when he sacked Wickremesinghe, had fuelled speculation that he

The

leftist People’s Liberation

sacking of Wickremesinghe as unconstitutional, accused Sirisena of

“Dissolving parliament at this time is illegal and goes against the constitution,” JVP general secretary

Sirisena suspended parliament to give himself more time to engineer defections, accord-

Several legislators have said they were offered millions of dollars to switch allegiance and at least eight have already jumped to the

Wickremesinghe, who

has

residence since his sacking, maintains that the action against him was unconstitutional and illegal, and insists his group can muster

Under pressure from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union to allow a parliament vote, Sirisena agreed three times to lift the suspension but