Political Crisis in island nation: Sri Lankan Parliament votes to reject new prime minister
Colombo, Nov 14 (IBNS): In a new twist to the political crisis in Sri Lanka, the country's parliament on Wednesday passed a vote of no-confidence against the newly-appointed prime minister chosen by President Sirisena.
This was the first time the Parliament assembled since it was dismissed by President Maithripala Sirisena on Oct 27.
According to media reports, the opposition members said the no-confidence motion, brought on Wednesday morning, meant Rajapaksa is forced to resign.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued an interim order till Dec 7, staying the proclamation issued by President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve parliament and call a snap poll.
"The three-Judge bench of the Supreme Court granted leave to proceed with the Fundamental Rights petitions which sought the court order against the President dissolving parliament," Daily Mirror reported.
Sri Lanka is passing through a political crisis since late October.
Last month, Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new premier.
He took oath as the new premier of the country on Oct 26. A former president, Rajapaksa ruled like a strongman from 2005 to 2015 and has been accused of serious human rights violations.
Sri Lanka witnessed a nearly 26 year long civil war with violent attacks on the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), which fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the island. After a protracted military campaign, the Sri Lankan military defeated the LTTE in May 2009, bringing the civil war to an end though several human rights abuses were reported soon after.
Relations between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe's political parties, who have governed in coalition since 2015, received setback since both suffered humiliating losses in February's local council elections.
According to reports, they have clashed in cabinet last week over government plans to lease a container terminal to neighbouring India.
Mahinda Rajapaksa joins SLPP:
Amid political crisis in Sri Lanka, country's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday left the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and joined the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), media reports said.
"Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has obtained the membership of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), at his official residence, Wijerama road, Colombo, a short while ago," Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror newspaper reported.
As per Colombo Gazette report, Rajapaksa’s son Namal Rajapaksa and several other SLFP members also joined the SLPP.
The move was made ahead of the general election on Jan 5.
With the movie, Rajapaksa ended his 50-year association with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s party.
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