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Sri Lanka reinstates ousted prime minister: official
COLOMBO, Dec 16, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Sri Lanka’s sacked prime minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe was reinstated Sunday, his party said, ending a 51-day crisis
that had paralysed the island nation and pushed it towards debt default.
The 69-year-old leader was sworn in by President Maithripala Sirisena, who
sacked him on October 26 and triggered a power struggle that brought the
country’s government to a standstill.
Wickremesinghe had refused to step aside since being sacked by in late
October and replaced by former leader Mahinda Rajapakse.
Sri Lanka had drifted without a functioning government for nearly two
months as the rival factions jostled for power in parliament and the courts.
Sirisena had vowed to never reappoint Wickremesinghe — who he publicly
castigated in speeches in recent weeks — as prime minister under his watch.
The acrimony between the two was underscored Sunday when Sirisena barred
journalists from attending the swearing-in ceremony — leaving it to
Wickremesinghe’s legislators to announce the appointment.
“We thank the citizens of the country who fought the illegal seizure of
power and ensured that democracy was restored,” his United National Party of
Sri Lanka posted on Twitter.
Sirisena’s appointee Rajapakse was unable to govern, failing many times to
muster a majority in parliament.
He was defeated six times on the floor of the legislature before being
forced to step down on Saturday.
Sirisena suffered a huge setback when the highest court in the country
ruled last week that he acted outside the constitution when he sacked
parliament in early November.
The court also confirmed Friday that Rajapakse and his purported cabinet
could not exercise the powers of the office they held.
A spokesman for Wickremesinghe said he was expected to form a cabinet in
the coming days, with priority given to the 2019 budget, without which
foreign debt servicing may not be possible.
Sri Lanka had been braced for a government shutdown as parliament failed to
approve spending for 2019, and ratings agencies downgraded the country’s
credit rating amid fears of a sovereign debt default.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1256 hrs