Lawmakers say they have passed a no-confidence motion against Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, in effect removing the leader and his Cabinet from their posts in the latest moves in an unprecedented constitutional crisis in the nation.
However, allies of Rajapaksa — controversially appointed by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena last month after the president sacked incumbent prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe — say they are refusing to recognize the legitimacy of yesterday’s vote, further deepening the drama that has paralyzed the government for the past two weeks.
There were chaotic scenes on the floor of the parliament for the vote, with Rajapaksa storming out of the house and some legislators from his party trying to halt the vote.
Photo: AFP
Amid shouting, lawmakers said Sri Lankan Parliamentary Speaker Karu Jayasuriya announced he would take a voice vote instead, which he then declared Rajapaksa’s government had lost, but lawmaker Namal Rajapaksa, the son of the prime minister, told the Guardian that his side did not recognize the vote.
“The speaker said over the noise that he wanted us to scream to decide who’s the prime minister,” he said. “We can’t do that. If the speaker wants to select a prime minister, then he can show 113 votes to the president and ask for it.”
Wickremesinghe said he had submitted a petition with the signatures of 122 lawmakers supporting the no-confidence measure in his opponent Rajapaksa.
“If any one wants to challenge the speaker’s decision they can put it to vote,” he said.
“We will now take steps to ensure that the government in place before the 26th Oct will continue,” he later posted on Twitter. “I wish to inform all government servants and police that you cannot carry out illegal orders from the purported government that has failed to demonstrate the confidence of the people.”
Parliament has been adjourned until 10am today, but there are fears the assembly could be suspended before then.
At least five lawmakers who had previous expressed support for Rajapaksa crossed over on yesterday morning to Wickremesinghe’s side.
Footage from outside parliament showed supporters of both sides protesting, separated by a line of riot police.
Yesterday’s events are the latest chapter in an unprecedented period of turmoil for what Sri Lankans boast is Asia’s oldest democracy.
Sirisena surprised the nation on Oct. 26 when he announced Wickremesinghe had been summarily dismissed as prime minister and that Rajapaksa was appointed in his place.
Constitutional experts queried whether the sacking was legal and Wickremesinghe demanded that parliament be allowed to decide on his leadership, but was prevented from doing so when Sirisena abruptly suspended the body.
Wickremesinghe’s forces, along with civil society groups and foreign governments, have been calling for parliament to be allowed to resume.
Meanwhile, Rajapaksa worked to persuade enough lawmakers to defect to win a confidence vote on the parliamentary floor.
On Friday last week, he conceded he had failed to do so, prompting Sirisena to escalate the dispute by dismissing parliament and sending Sri Lankans to the polls.
Sirisena and Wickremesinghe’s fragile coalition has deteriorated in the past 18 months and observers argue the president was hoping to protect his job by allying himself with Rajapaksa, a former party colleague who is probably the most popular politician in Sri Lanka, but Sirisena’s election gambit was temporarily blocked on Tuesday evening when it was suspended by the Sri Lankan Supreme Court, which wants to hear a series of challenges to the order from Wickremesinghe, other parties and civil society groups.
The court’s judgement cleared the way for parliament to resume yesterday — though the sitting has served only to exacerbate the political uncertainty.
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