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COLOMBO (Reuters) – A political stalemate in Sri Lanka could last longer after President Maithripala Sirisena announced Sunday that he would not reinstate Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister even though he was able to prove one's majority in parliament.
PHOTO FILE: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena makes gestures during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 23, 2017. REUTERS / Kirill Kudryavtsev // File Photo
"I will not name Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister in my lifetime. Even if they have a majority, I told them not to propose it because I will not name him Prime Minister, "Sirisena told the foreign press.
He said he replaced Wickremesinghe by former pro-Chinese leader Mahinda Rajapaksa because of political differences and a sharp rise in corruption.
Sirisena announced that he plans to appoint a commission of inquiry into corruption and fraud "under the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe".
A former government spokesman under Wickremesinghe said Sirisena should be ashamed to make such allegations as he headed the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.
"Why has not he said this in recent years and investigated?" Rajitha Seneratne told Reuters.
Sagala Ratnayaka, former Minister of Police under Wickremesinghe, said: "If the insane allegations of President Sirisena continue, I will have to disclose the details of the person who intervened, when, where and how."
Sri Lanka is facing an increasingly serious political crisis, with the newly appointed Rajapaksa government refusing to resign despite the loss of two votes of confidence. Sirisena refused to accept the result of the votes stating that the appropriate parliamentary procedure had not been followed.
Sirisena dissolved parliament and ordered elections to end the stalemate, but the Supreme Court ordered the suspension of the decree earlier this month, as it hears petitions challenging the decision, found to be unconstitutional. A verdict is expected on December 7th.
He expected all the problems to end with the decision of the Supreme Court, he said.
It was unclear how the impasse would end if the court found its decision to dissolve Parliament unconstitutional. If this is constitutional, Sirisena can convene general elections.
According to the constitution of the island nation, the president has the power to appoint a prime minister who, according to him, can command the majority of parliament. It was not clear immediately how Sirisena could reject Wickremesinghe if he had a majority.
The president said that he was ready to appoint prime minister all members of the party Wickremesinghe, with the exception of Wickremesinghe himself and the former army chief, Sarath Fonseka Minister of Cabinet dismissed.
"To appoint a prime minister, I would also like to love the person and be able to work with them," he said.
However, the United Left Party, a center-right party led by Wickremesing, has so far refused to propose to anyone other than Wickremesinghe to become prime minister.
Report by Shihar Aneez; Edited by Euan Rocha, Richard Balmforth
