Speaker keeps old leader out of parly

– Sri Lanka’s speaker said yesterday he would not accept a former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the new prime minister until he proves he commands a majority in parliament.

President Maithripala Sirisena fired the sitting Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, last month and appointed Rajapaksa in his place, sparking a political crisis.

Wickremesinghe has denounced his dismissal as unconstitutional and vowed to remain prime minister until parliament votes him out.

“The majority of members are of the view that the changes ... are unconstitutional and against traditions,” the speaker of parliament, Karu Jayasuriya, said in a statement.

Sirisena suspended parliament after he appointed Rajapaksa, raising concern among political parties at home and among Sri Lanka’s traditional allies such as India, the United States and European Union.

Rajapaksa is known as a Sri Lankan nationalist, while being close to China.

He is seen as a hero by many among Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority but has been accused by diplomats of serious human rights abuses in the war against rebels from the Tamil minority, which ended during his tenure as president, in 2009.

He has denied abuses and said in a statement after he was sworn in he wanted to end religious and ethnic divisions in the country of 21 million people.

Jayasuriya said most members of parliament called on him not to accept the changes. “I will have to accept the status quo prior to the changes” until a majority in parliament accepted them. –