In a major political setback, President Chandrika Kumaratunga's alliance has lost a crucial parliamentary vote, failing to get its candidate into the powerful speaker's post.
W.J.M. Lokubandara, a former justice minister and member of the main opposition party, narrowly won the post by a vote of 110 to 109. His victory over Dew Gunesekara late Thursday came only after three separate votes in the legislature, and near-pandemonium as lawmakers argued about parliamentary procedure in a marathon nine-and-a-half hour session.
The loss was sure to complicate the already-fractured political scene in Sri Lanka, where Kumaratunga's party heads a ruling coalition that remains bitterly at odds with the main opposition led by her nemesis, former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Their political rivalry has dominated Sri Lankan politics for years, and has complicated attempts to seek a resolution of the bitter civil war that has devastated much of the island.
The speaker of parliament has broad powers, including whether to accept impeachment motions, when to allow floor debates and the priority of bills.
Thursday's session -- the new parliament's first -- opened with the initial secret ballot for speaker evenly divided between the government and opposition candidates at 108 each. One vote was rejected, seven Buddhist monk lawmakers abstained, and one legislator was not present in the 225-member house for the initial vote.
Parliamentary officials met after the result and ordered a revote. But that was stopped midway after lawmakers from Kumaratunga's political alliance blocked the ballot box, angry that some opposition lawmakers had showed their ballots to other members before casting their votes, saying this violated the secret ballot.
After heated arguments, Parliament Secretary General Priyani Wijesekara called the vote invalid and ordered another one.
Lokubandara's victory was secured after two monks who previously abstained voted in his favor.
New Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, who was backed by Kumaratunga, congratulated Lokubandara on his appointment and urged him to be unbiased.
Wickremesinghe, who was appointed opposition leader, described the tussle as a "hard-fought contest" that was "more like a battle."
"We cannot be bullied in this house," Wickremesinghe said, criticizing government deputies for blocking the earlier vote.
Jehan Perera, a political analyst from the National Peace Council research group, said the power struggle on the new parliament's first day bodes ill for the country.
"This is a very bad start," he said. "The bitter acrimony and division in politics was exposed."
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