In view of the political crisis in Sri Lanka, the country’s Tamil party has called on President Maithripala Sirisena to recall the parliament he has suspended. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has called on the president to convene Parliament „immediately and end this crisis,“ TNA MP Dharamalingam Sithadthan told a news agency yesterday.
Sirisena had dismissed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his government just over a week ago and sworn in the disputed former leader Mahinda Rajapakse as his successor. Wickremesinghe, however, refused to vacate his post and demanded a parliamentary vote on his future. The president then suspended the chamber. Yesterday, he said that Parliament would meet again on November 14, a week later than previously announced.
Thousands of people have since been demonstrating and occupying the official residence of the deposed head of government. The TNA has already announced that it will vote against Rajapakse in a parliamentary vote of confidence. The Sunday Times of Colombo condemned the prime minister’s dismissal as „pure political calculation“ and unlawful.
Wickremesinghe warned in a media interview of a bloody escalation: „A few desperate people can cause a bloodbath,“ he said. Wickremesinghe renewed his call for a quick parliamentary vote to the media. At the same time, he was confident that the constitutional crisis could be settled by the vote of the deputies.
