Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday suspended parliament until 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.
Minutes earlier, Wickremesinghe, who has said he remains prime minister, urged the speaker to convene parliament to prove that he retained his parliamentary majority.
“I have the majority in the parliament, convene the parliament to resolve this,” Wickremesinghe told a news conference in Colombo, flanked by 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.
Sri Lankan Minister of Media and Finance Mangala Samaraweera on Friday condemned Rajapaksa’s appointment as “an anti-democratic coup” and violation of the constitution.
An EU delegation yesterday said that it was closely following the events in Sri Lanka.
“We urge all parties to fully act in accordance with Sri Lanka’s constitution, to refrain from violence, to follow due institutional process, to respect the independence of institutions, and freedom of media,” the delegation said.
Sirisena on Friday administered the oath of office to Rajapaksa after sacking Wickremesinghe, who was away touring the south of the country.
Under Sri Lankan constitution, the prime minister heads parliament and the president has executive powers.
The political rift, which comes amid weakening economic growth, follows months of infighting in the ruling coalition.
Relations between Wickremesinghe’s United National Party and Sirisensa’s United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) have been strained after Sirisensa criticized Wickremesinghe for not adequately investigating an assassination plot against the president.
The UPFA had threatened to quit the ruling coalition.
Sirisena accused Indian intelligence services of involvement in that plot, a claim New Delhi and Colombo have both denied.
There was no immediate reaction from India, which has long seen Sri Lanka, located just off its southern tip, as part of its area of influence.
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request seeking comment on the change of leadership in Sri Lanka.
India has been concerned about Rajapaksa’s wooing of China — he ushered in billions of dollars of investment from Beijing to help rebuild the country following the end of a civil war against Tamil separatists in 2009.
The investment has since put the nation deep in debt and forced it to hand over control of a strategic southern port to China.
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