However, the ousted Prime Minister said he has the numbers to prove his majority so the President suspended the country's Parliament till November 16 (to give Rajapaksa time to get the support required to survive a no-confidence vote). But, on Sunday, the Speaker recognised Wickremesinghe as the prime minister and questioned the move to suspend Parliament.
President vs PM
Unlike India, Sri Lanka's President is the most dominant political force in the country. The prime minister functions as deputy to President and is the leader of Cabinet. Rajapaksa and Sirisena combine has only 95 seats and is short of a simple majority. Wickremesinghe's party has 106 seats on its own with just seven short of the majority.
Old equations, new politics
Differences between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe had widened in recent times over, among other things, economic reforms, key policy moves and a probe into military officers accused of human rights violations during the country's civil war with LTTE.
Rajapaksa and Sirisena were former political allies (Sirisena was Rajapaksa's minister of health) until Sirisena broke away from Rajapaksa's party and unseated him in the 2015. Sirisena and the ousted prime minister, on the other hand, were political opponents who united their parties to take on Rajapaksa.
'International conspiracy'
So far, a majority of lawmakers has not endorsed Rajapaksa. In a letter sent on Sunday, parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya urged the president to protect Wickremesinghe's rights and privileges "until any other person emerges from within the Parliament as having secure confidence of the Parliament".
In an address to the nation, Sirisena said his action to change the government was "totally in accordance with the constitution and on the advice of legal experts".
The Rajapaksa faction has sought to win over lawmakers to back it in parliament. Two Wickremesinghe loyalists have pledged support to Rajapaksa and sources close to Rajapaksa have said there will be more cross-overs.
Ranjan Ramanayake, a legislator from Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP), said some lawmakers had been offered up to 800 million rupees ($4.6 million) each to switch sides and support Rajapaksa.
"This is an international conspiracy," Ramanayake told reporters at Wickremesinghe's official residence, accusing China of "spending money to buy over members".
A Chinese embassy official in Colombo denied the allegation and said Beijing maintained good relations with all Sri Lankan parties, including the UNP.
"China never interferes in other countries' internal affairs," the official said. "We're against all this interference from any foreign country."
Cheng Xueyuan, China's envoy to Sri Lanka, met Rajapaksa with a congratulatory message on Saturday.
Bad news for India?
Sri Lanka had grown closer to China under Rajapaksa's rule with Beijing pumping in billions of dollars into huge infrastructure projects. However, some of that had been reversed under the current political establishment as Chinese debt pinched the country's economy and they looked towards India, which obliged.
Although it is believed that Rajapaksa has made conciliatory noises towards India, there is nothing to suggest that he will not revert to his old ways again. In fact, in the past six months, as Rajapaksa and Sirisena explored ways of a political rapprochement, Sirisena put the brakes on a number of Indian investments.
Presidential elections are due next year and Rajapaksa is expected to win it (a change in law is expected to avoid the two-term limit for the presidency under the constitution) because of the growing discontent over a slowing economy.
The developments in Sri Lanka also play into broader rivalry between India and China across the Indian Ocean. Beijing's potential gains in Sri Lanka could make up for the perceived loss of Chinese influence in the tiny archipelago nation of Maldives, where a recent election turfed former President Abdulla Yameen, who had also moved closer to China at the expense of relations with India.
Global pressure rises on Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena is under increasing pressure to uphold the island nation's constitution and reconvene parliament after his decision to replace the prime minister triggered political turmoil.
India, the European Union and the United States have all urged Sirisena to abide by the constitution.
"We call on the president, in consultation with the speaker, to immediately reconvene parliament and allow the democratically elected representatives of the Sri Lankan people to fulfil their responsibilities to affirm who will lead their government," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
Sources in diplomatic missions said most foreign envoys had yet to send congratulatory messages to Rajapaksa as it could be interpreted as legitimising the new government while there were still complaints his appointment was unconstitutional.
Market fallout
The political turmoil comes at a critical time for a Sri Lankan economy struggling with slow growth and a weakening currency.
If tensions continue, Sri Lanka could struggle to refinance government debt that comes due in early 2019 at an affordable rate, credit rating agency Moody's said.
"The president's sudden appointment of Mr Rajapaksa as prime minister significantly heightens policy uncertainty," said Matthew Circosta, an analyst at Moody's Sovereign Risk Group
"Additionally, the possible social tensions that may unfold in the next few weeks would have a negative impact on the economy, which is already growing slowly."
What next?
The matter is likely to end up in court as the country's constitution allows the President to appoint the prime minister but not fire him unless he loses the confidence of the country's 225-seat Parliament. However, if Parliament continues to remain in suspension, Rajapaksa may just be able to manage the numbers for any trust vote.
So? India is 'closely following the developments' and hoping that 'democratic values and constitutional process' is respected.
(With inputs from agencies)
from Times of India https://ift.tt/2yzz56g
