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Sri Lankan prostrocrats take part in a candlelight vigil in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday, November 11, 2018. Crowds demanded the restoration of democracy after the dissolution of parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena and the appeal to new elections. (Eranga Jayawardena / Associated Press)
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Former strongman and current Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, left his long-standing political party and joined another party on Sunday, which could weaken the country's president.
Rajapaksa joined the Sri Lankan Popular Front, a party of which he was the ghost leader for months.
His decision could weaken the Freedom Party, Sri Lanka, of President Maithripala Sirisena, of which Rajapaksa was a long-time member. A large number of SLFP members are likely to join Rajapaksa because he is one of his biggest supporters.
Sirisena fired his prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, last month, and replaced him with Rajapaksa, hoping to benefit from Rajapaksa's popular support.
Sirisena and Wickremesinghe, who were at the head of traditionally opposed parties, were part of a clumsy coalition government until the dismissal of Wickremesinghe on October 26.
Sirisena dissolved parliament and called for elections on Jan. 5 to counter the worsening of the political crisis after the dismissal of the prime minister, deemed unconstitutional by the prime minister.
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