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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The country's highest judicial authority has blocked the order to dissolve Parliament and hold national elections, the latest reversal of the political confrontation between the Sri Lankan President and his legislators.
Sri Lanka is caught in a constitutional crisis since President Maithripala Sirisena appointed in October the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa Prime Minister without the approval of Parliament. He then decided to dissolve Parliament last week, arguing that the people, not Parliament, should have the right to accept rejecting a new prime minister.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, for whom Mr Rajapaska was to succeed, refused to withdraw and remains in the official residence of the Prime Minister, saying that only Parliament had the right to replace him.
Last Friday, Mr Sirisena called for the dissolution of parliament, saying that he had lost confidence in the president of the assembly and called for the holding of parliamentary elections in the country 's. South Asia in January, two years ahead of schedule. His opponents believe that a two-thirds vote of lawmakers is one of two ways to dissolve Parliament.
Under the Sri Lankan Constitution, the president can dissolve parliament after four and a half years, which in this case would be the end of 2019.
The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would hear more arguments the first week of December.
His decision opens the door to the Parliament meeting on Wednesday, where he will likely vote on approving or rejecting Rajapaksa's appointment.
Mr Wickremesinghe welcomed the decision.
"Today, we have witnessed a brilliant victory for democracy," he said. "We appreciate the order given by the Supreme Court. The order ensures that the constitution is respected. This is the first victory, but we will continue the battle to restore democracy in Sri Lanka. "
Rajapaksa was president when the country defeated Tamil separatists in 2009 during a brutal crackdown ending the bloody civil war on the island. He was removed from office in 2015, during an election seen as the beginning of reconciliation between the Tamil community and the Sinhalese Buddhist majority of Sri Lanka.
The prospect of his return to the government has worried many members of the Tamil community, as well as some diplomats and human rights activists, that the country may reconsider its treatment of minority groups.
