President of Sri Lanka calls early elections to end power struggle | News from the world

Sri Lanka has plunged further into crisis after President Maithripala Sirisena triggered an early election, leaving the country struggling with another two-month prejudicial political paralysis, with a pair of bitter rivals claiming to lead his government .

Sirisena on Friday dissolved the country's parliament, fearing a new election to support his favorite candidate for the post of prime minister, to the detriment of a deposed prime minister who refused to leave.

Sirisena signed a decree to revoke the island badembly, which has 225 members, and legislative elections on January 5, nearly two years earlier than planned.

A few hours earlier, Sirisena's party had admitted that it did not have enough votes to support former president Mahinda Rajapakse against the rival claimant and ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had refused to step down.

The two men have been fighting for the post of prime minister for two weeks, as the concern of the international community intensifies in the face of turmoil.

Wickremesinghe made no immediate comment, but his party, the United National Party (UNP), said he would contest Sirisena's overthrow of the legislature.

"This dissolution by the president is illegal and goes against the constitution," UNP said on Twitter. "We will fight against this so that democracy reigns supreme in the country".

"It deprived the people of their rights and the democracy we enjoy," UNP said.

Sirisena had been under increased international pressure from the United States, the United Nations and the European Union to allow Parliament to vote on the choice of Prime Minister to form a government.

Washington quickly criticized Sirisena's last move.

"The United States is deeply concerned by the announcement of the dissolution of the Sri Lankan Parliament, thus reinforcing the political crisis," said the US State Department in a statement posted on Twitter.

"As a committed partner of Sri Lanka, we believe that democratic institutions and processes must be respected to ensure stability and prosperity," he said.

The United People's Alliance for Freedom Sirisena admitted, before the staggering announcement of the president, that she failed to get enough deputies crossed to win a vote of confidence.

By avoiding to test his majority in the House, Rajapakse will remain acting Prime Minister until the close of the elections and the holding of a new parliament on Jan. 17.

Sirisena triggered the crisis on October 26 by dismissing Wickremesinghe and replacing him as Prime Minister by Rajapakse, the country's authoritarian president from 2005 to 2015.

Sirisena had claimed Monday that he had the support of 113 lawmakers when he had dismissed Wickremesinghe. But the admission of a lack of majority had fueled speculation that he could dismiss the legislature and go for a quick election.

The Popular Left Liberation Front, which regards the dismissal of Wickremesinghe as unconstitutional, accused Sirisena of wanting to consolidate his power.

"The dissolution of parliament at the present time is illegal and goes against the constitution," party secretary Tilvin Silva told reporters.

Sirisena suspended Parliament to give itself more time to organize defections, according to the opposition. Several lawmakers said they had been offered millions of dollars to change their allegiance and at least eight of them have already sided with the president.

Wickremesinghe, who has not left the residence of Temple Trees since his dismissal, claims that the action against him was unconstitutional and illegal, and insists that his group can have a majority.

Under pressure from the UN, the United States and the European Union to allow a parliamentary vote, Sirisena agreed on three occasions to lift the suspension, but changed every time .

The EU said Friday, before the breakup, that the crisis had tarnished the international reputation of the island of the Indian Ocean.

In a joint statement with Norway and Switzerland, the EU called on Parliament to meet again and to hold an immediate vote.

The power struggle on the island of 21 million residents paralyzed much of the administration, according to lawmakers on both sides of the conflict.