Despite judicial and parliamentary setbacks, Mahinda Rajapaksa has the edge in the Sri Lankan power struggle
On November 14, when the Sri Lankan parliament reconvened after the Supreme Court nullified the president’s dissolution order, newly sworn-in Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa walked in with an uneasy smile. It turned out to be a day of high drama in the 225-member house. Slogans supporting and opposing Rajapaksa were raised repeatedly. Foreign diplomats and journalists could be seen waiting for the proceedings to begin.
The session began with the introduction of a motion to suspend the standing orders to dissolve the parliament. Apart from ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party, opposition groups such as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, All Ceylon Makkal Congress and the Tamil Progressive Alliance voted in favour of the motion, which was moved by TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran. Some MPs from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), too, joined them. As it became clear that the motion to suspend the standing orders was approved, Rajapaksa walked out quietly. Later, 122 MPs signed the no-confidence motion against him. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya confirmed that the motion was passed. “Copies of the motion and the signatures are being sent to the president for necessary action,” he said. Wickremesinghe thus managed to retain the support of the same number of MPs who voted for him during a no-confidence motion in April.
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