Wickremesinghe Back as Sri Lanka PM, Rajapaksa Becomes Oppn Leader
President Maithripala Sirisena had on 26 Oct removed PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and installed Rajapaksa in his place.
Ending a 51-day-long political standoff in Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe was reinstated as the country's prime minister on Sunday, 16 December.
Meanwhile, Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday, 18 December, became Sri Lanka's main opposition leader in Parliament, days after he resigned as PM after clinging on to power for nearly two months.
On 14 December, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court had refused to stay another court order restraining Rajapaksa from acting as the prime minister. This came a day after the country's apex court ruled that President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve the Parliament was illegal.
- Rajapaksa’s appointment as main opposition leader was met with revolt
- Sirisena said he offered to reappoint Wickremesinghe as the prime minister as he respects parliamentary traditions and democracy
- Sirisena plunged the nation into unprecedented political turmoil after sacking Wickremesinghe on 26 October and appointing Rajapaksa in his place, and also dissolving the Parliament
Rajapaksa Now Becomes Sri Lanka's Main Opposition Leader
Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday, 18 December, became Sri Lanka's main opposition leader in Parliament, days after he resigned as PM after clinging on to power for nearly two months.
73-year-old Rajapaksa replaced veteran Tamil leader of the main Tamil party R Sampanthan, who held the position from 2015.
His appointment was announced by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in Parliament which met for the first time after the reinstatement of Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister that ended the 51-day political standoff in the country.
They claimed that Rajapaksa has ceased to be a member of Parliament because he had joined another political party recently.
Rajapaksa, by obtaining the membership of the Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP), left the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) from which he was elected to Parliament in 2015.
Speaker Jayasuriya asked Sumanthiran to make a written submission on his complaint against Rajapaksa so that a select committee could go into details.
(PTI)
MEA Welcomes Sri Lanka's Efforts to Resolve Political Crisis
The Ministry of External affairs welcomed Sri Lanka’s resolution to the 51–day long political crisis in the country. MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that it reflects the maturity of all the political forces and also of the resilience of the Sri Lankan democracy and its institutions.
Sri Lanka Reinstates Ousted PM Ranil Wickremesinghe
United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn-in as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on Sunday, PTI reported, ending a 51-day power tussle in the island nation that had crippled the government.
Wickremesinghe was administered the oath of office by President Maithripala Sirisena at a simple ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
His appointment comes hours after former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was appointed Prime Minister by President Maithripala Sirisena, resigned on Saturday, 15 December, paving way for the return of Wickremesinghe as premier.
President Sirisena had sacked Wickremesinghe on 26 October, in a controversial move that had plunged the island nation into an unprecedented constitutional crisis.
Sirisena agreed to reinstate Minister Wickremesinghe to the post after a discussion between the two on Friday, 14 December.
Mahinda Rajapaksa Resigns as Sri Lanka's Prime Minister
Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister on Saturday, 15 December. This comes after months of political turmoil in the country.
Rani Wickremesinghe will be taking oath as the Prime Minister on Sunday, 16 December.
Wickremesinghe likely to take oath as Sri Lanka's PM on 16 Dec
Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to take oath as Sri Lanka's Prime Minister on Sunday, 16 December, after disputed Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Saturday, signalling an end to the nearly two-month power tussle in the island nation.
President Maithripala Sirisena has reportedly agreed to reinstate ousted Prime Minister Wickremesinghe in the post after a discussion with him over the phone on Friday, 14 December, Colombo Page reported.
Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) said that it was decided during the discussion that he will take oath as the Prime Minister at 10 am on Sunday.
Sri Lanka’s Disputed PM Mahinda Rajapaksa to Resign Tomorrow: Son
Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was appointed prime minister in a controversial move, will resign on Saturday, his son announced on Friday, 14 December, shortly after the Supreme Court refused to stay a court order restraining the embattled former strongman from holding the office until it fully heard the case next month.
Rajapaksa was appointed as the premier on 26 October by President Maithripala Sirisena after sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe, plunging the nation into a constitutional crisis.
"To ensure stability of the nation, Former President @PresRajapaksa has decided to resign from the Premiership tomorrow after an address to the nation," Rajapaksa's son Namal tweeted.
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) with former president, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and others will "now work to form a broader political coalition with President Sirisena", Namal, who is also a lawmaker, added.
SC Upholds Restraining Court Order Against Rajapaksa from Acting as PM
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Friday refused to stay a court order restraining Mahinda Rajapaksa from holding the office of Prime Minister until it fully heard the case next month, prolonging the political uncertainty plaguing the country for nearly two months, reported PTI.
The apex court's latest ruling came a day after it unanimously declared that the dissolution of Parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena was "illegal”.
Trust President Will Respect the Judgment: Ranil Wickremesinghe
Ousted Prime Minsiter Ranil Wickremesinghe tweeted said, “We trust that the President will promptly respect the judgment of the courts.”
Dissolution of Sri Lanka Parliament by Maithripala Sirisena Illegal
Sri Lanka Supreme Court on Thursday, 13 December, ruled that Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve the Parliament was illegal, reported AFP.
Fearing trouble, authorities beefed up the security around the Supreme Court and deployed the elite special task force.
SC Examins Petition, to Deliver Verdict Today
A 3-member Supreme Court bench is examining the petitions against and for Sirisena’s move to remove Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. On 7 December, the court had reserved the judgment for this week.
A ruling against Sirisena will put the president in a difficult situation given his public statement that he would not restore the pre-26 October position by reappointing Wickremesinghe.
Sirisena dissolved Parliament when it appeared that Rajapaksa would not be able to muster the support of 113 MPs. Wickremesinghe, on the other hand, commands a majority.
(Source: PTI)
SC Verdict First Step Towards Restoring Normalcy
Analysts said the Supreme Court ruling would be the first step in the resolution of the ongoing political crisis, the likes of which has never been witnessed in the island nation's history.
Sirisena has said he will accept the Supreme Court's ruling on the petitions filed against his gazette notification dissolving Parliament.
The United National Front (UNF) coalition led by Wickeremesinghe has moved three no-trust motions against Rajapaksa.
The motions came to be adopted after the Speaker summoned Parliament, in a direct confrontation with Sirisena.
Rajapaksa has, so far, failed to prove his majority in Parliament. However, he has refused to step down. Wickeremesinghe has the backing of 106 parliamentarians, while the Rajapaksa-Sirisena combine has the support of 95.
(Source: PTI)
The Beginning of SL Crisis
In a controversial move President Maithripala Sirisena on 26 October removed Wickremesinghe and installed former strongman Rajapaksa in his place.
Sirisena, after sacking Wickremesinghe, dissolved Parliament and called for a snap election on 5 January.
As many as 13 petitions have been filed against Sirisena's 9 November order sacking the 225-member Parliament, almost 20 months before its term was to end.
(Source: PTI)
(With inputs from PTI)
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