Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena suspended the parliament amid political crisis on Saturday, 27 October, reported news agency AFP.
Earlier in the day, ousted Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had sought an emergency parliament session.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had staged a dramatic political comeback on Friday, 26 October, becoming the new prime minister of the country after the current president fired Wickremesinghe.
Sirisena on Saturday, 27 October, issued two extraordinary gazette notices making Rajapaksa the new prime minister and formally recognising Ranil Wickremesinghe’s dramatic dismissal, leading to a constitutional crisis in the island nation, PTI reported.
The first notice is on Wickremesinghe being removed as prime minister and the other on the appointment of Rajapaska as the new premier, Colombo Gazette reported.
Wickremesinghe, who had been sacked by President Maithripala Sirisena has termed the move as "unconstitutional" and vowed to prove his majority in Parliament.
The sudden development came amid growing tensions between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe on several policy matters, as the President had been critical of the Prime Minister and his policies, especially on economy and security.
Rajapaksa, 72, tweeted a photo of him and Sirisena after the swearing in ceremony at the presidential secretariat .
According to PTI, the president has prorogued the house till 16 November. The parliament was earlier due to meet on 5 November to unveil the 2019 annual budget.
Rajapaksa and Sirisena combined have only 95 seats, and are short of a simple majority in the 225-member house. Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) has 106 seats on its own with just seven short of the majority.
US Urges Political Parties to Refrain from Violence
The US urged political parties in Sri Lanka on Friday, 26 October, to abide by the Constitution and refrain from violence, reported PTI.
In its first reaction to the unfolding situation in Sri Lanka, the US State Department said it is following the development in the country.
"We call on all parties to act in accordance with SL's Constitution, refrain from violence, and follow due process," the State Department said in a tweet.
"We expect governor of SL to uphold its Geneva commitments to human rights, reform, accountability, justice, and reconciliation," the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department said.
Leaders Lash Out at New PM Rajapaksa
Reacting sharply to his sacking, Wickremesinghe asserted that the swearing in of Rajapaksa in his place is "illegal and unconstitutional" and he will prove his majority in Parliament.
"I will continue to be the Prime Minister. Mahinda Rajapaksa's appointment is unconstitutional," he said.
Similarly, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera tweeted that "the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister is unconstitutional and illegal. This is an anti-democratic coup".
However, in India, Union Minister Subramanian Swamy expressed his joy at Rajapaksa’s selection.
“He (Rajapaksa) called me in morning and I congratulated him. I'm happy because he is staunch nationalist. He will not sacrifice this sovereignty even one bit for any country/terrorist group. India would benefit by good relations with him,” Swamy further said on Saturday, 27 October.
Rajpaksa-Wickremesinghe Power Struggle
The political developments unfolded after Sirisena's broader political front, United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), announced that it has decided to quit the current unity government with Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP).
Mahinda Amaraweera, agriculture minister and the general secretary of the UPFA, told reporters that the UPFA decision has been conveyed to Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya.
The unity government was formed in 2015 when Sirisena was elected President with Wickremesinghe's support, ending a nearly decade-long rule by Rajapaksa.
Rajapaksa’s return to power ends a more than three-year-old coalition government that was formed by Sirisena and Wickremesinghe on a promise to combat corruption and financial irregularities.
Sirisena, who was Rajapaksa's minister of health, broke away from him to contest the presidential elections.
Political analysts said Sirisena’s move to install Rajapaksa as the prime minister could lead to a constitutional crisis as the 19th amendment to the Constitution would not allow the sacking of Wickremesinghe as the premier without a majority.
Rajapaksa and Sirisena combine has only 95 seats and is short of a simple majority. Wickremesinghe's UNP has 106 seats on its own with just seven short of the majority.
Referring to the crisis, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, US, said: “US is following events in Sri Lanka.We call on all parties to act in accordance with Sri Lanka’s constitution, refrain from violence and follow process. Expect Sri Lanka government to uphold Geneva commitments to human rights, reform, accountability and reconciliation,” ANI reported.
Threat to Sirisena’s Life?
Last week, it was reported that Sirisena accused his senior coalition partner the UNP of not taking seriously an alleged conspiracy to assassinate him and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the former top defence ministry bureaucrat and brother of Rajapaksa.
Earlier on Friday, an Indian national, Marceli Thomas, was arrested for possible links to an alleged plot to assassinate President Maithripala Sirisena, and was later sent to a mental hospital, reported PTI.
Sri Lanka's Parliament was told that Rajapaksa’s life was also under threat.
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