[ad_1]
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena suspended Parliament on Saturday to block his surprise dismissal of the Prime Minister's overthrow, compounding the wave of political unrest in the island nation.
Police canceled all leave following escalating tensions in Colombo a day after the dismissal by the president of his rival Ranil Wickremesinghe, replaced by controversial former president Mahinda Rajapakse.
Parliamentary officials said the president suspended the 225 members of parliament until 16 November. Wickremesinghe had previously requested an emergency session in order to prove that he still commanded the majority.
Wickremesinghe continued to occupy Temple Trees, the prime minister's official residence, and insisted on a letter to Sirisena to indicate that he was still in office.
"End the controversy," Wickremesinghe told the press at a press conference at the residence. "Reconvene parliament immediately so that I can prove my majority."
Parliamentary sources have said that President Karu Jayasuriya should now decide whether he recognizes Rajapakse or Wickremesinghe as prime minister.
The crisis, following similar unrest in the neighboring Maldives, has caused concern among the international community.
The United States called on all parties to respect Sri Lanka's constitution and to refrain from violence. Ambassadors of the European Union in Colombo issued a similar message on Saturday.
The Indian regional power "was also closely monitoring" developments in Colombo, official sources in New Delhi told AFP.
– Standoff –
In one night, the Rajapakse Loyalists stormed two state-owned television stations – which they consider loyal to the outgoing Wickremesinghe government – and forced them to leave the airwaves. They resumed their broadcasts Saturday and supported Rajapakse.
Sporadic attacks against supporters of the Wickremesinghe Unified National Party have been reported in several parts of the country following Rajapakse's swearing in on Friday night.
The streets of the capital remained mostly calm on Saturday, but security was strengthened around Temple Trees and Rajapakse's residence.
Wickremesinghe, 69, who attended a lawyer training and who has established a name for his management of the economy, insisted that he could only be dismissed by Parliament.
His party holds the largest number of seats, but lost his majority shortly before his sacking on Friday, when the Unified People's Alliance for Freedom, the president, announced that she was withdrawing from the government coalition.
This is the second time that a president is removing the Wickremesinghe mandate. In 2004, just two and a half years after the start of his six-year term, the then president dismissed him and called for early elections.
After winning the post of prime minister a third time in August 2015, Wickremesinghe amended the constitution in order to remove the power of the head of state to sack prime ministers in order to prevent the repetition of his previous ousting .
Sirisena visited Friday despite the insistence of many political observers that he did not have the power to dismiss the prime minister.
Wickremesinghe had survived a censorship vote backed by Sirisena earlier this year.
– No wardrobe –
Since he was sworn in, Rajapakse has yet to announce any official changes, such as the appointment of a new cabinet.
Addressing jubilant supporters outside his home in Colombo on Friday night, Rajapakse called on Wickremesinghe to step down.
Members of the rival party must "respect democracy, the country and the law," said the former president by a megaphone from the balcony.
Rajapakse, 72, is a controversial figure at home and abroad, but he is campaigning for a return to political life on the front line since the defeat of Sirisena's presidential election in 2015.
During its decade in power, Colombo crushed a decade-long uprising of Tamil tigers.
Human rights groups claim that tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed during the final stages of the campaign, but Rajapakse refused to acknowledge abuses committed during the civil war.
He also strongly relied on China's political support and contracted loans for the construction of qualified white elephant infrastructure by the new government. His dependence on Beijing has angered India, which Rajapakse blamed for his defeat in the last presidential election.
Since Sirisena became president, Sri Lanka has decided to reconcile with India, the United States and other Western powers.
He pledged to the UN to investigate allegations of human rights abuses during the civil war, but has been criticized for his lack of progress in recent years.
Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, left, is sworn in as prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena
