After sacking Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointing opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa as new prime minister, President Maithripala Sirisena prorogues parliament. But, Wickermesinghe says, “I remain as prime minister.”
Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena prorogued the parliament with effect from 12 noon (local time) on Saturday, a day after he removed Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister and replaced him with former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“The president has prorogued the parliament,” cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne told reporters.
The move comes after Wickremesinghe, who says he remains prime minister, urged the speaker to convene the parliament on Sunday to prove he still retained his parliamentary majority.
Earlier on Saturday, Sirisena issued a formal notice for Wickremesinghe to step down as prime minister and recognise his shock dismissal, in an unfolding constitutional crisis.
Hours after sacking his former ally, President Sirisena issued gazettes formalising the dramatic move, and the installation of one-time strongman Rajapakse as the new prime minister.
However, Wickremesinghe continued to occupy Temple Trees, the official residence of the prime minister, and insisted in a letter to Sirisena that he was still in office.
He has said that he can be removed only by parliament where his party enjoys a majority, and also vowed to seek legal action against what he condemned as an unconstitutional move against him.