The political crisis in Sri Lanka that began on 26 October when President Maithripala Sirisena appointed former President and Sinhala chauvinist Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister and sacked serving Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for which the President does not have the requisite power under the Constitution, had deepened by Friday and there seems to be no solution in sight. Parliament was convened this week when a …
This week, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court made a dramatic intervention in the country’s deepening political crisis, a move that may prevent it from sliding further into democratic dysfunction and possible political violence. The three-judge panel overturned the unilateral action by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to illegally dissolve the parliament last week. The ruling means that parliament could reconvene as soon as Wednesday (November 14). Jubilant …
Gleaming cranes stretch out on the waterfront in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo as Chinese companies construct a $1.5 billion new commercial district, including hotels, marinas and a motor racing track. They have already built a giant container terminal nearby and a huge port in the south. Now India, the traditional power in the region, is muscling into port and other projects, pushing back hard against …
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he is willing to work with President Maithripala Sirisena, who abruptly sacked him on October 26, if given a chance to prove his majority in Parliament. Caught in an unprecedented power struggle, Mr. Wickremesinghe is trying to claim legitimacy as the country’s premier, after Mr. Sirisena appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place and subsequently prorogued Parliament until …
A constitutional crisis is unfolding in Sri Lanka – and that is causing concern in New Delhi as it may enable China to expand its influence in the island off India’s southern doorstep, the regional website Benar News reported on November 5. The turmoil started last week when Sri Lanka’s president, Maithripala Sirisena, dismissed prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahindra Rajapaksa, a former …
What is happening in Sri Lanka right now sits somewhere in between House of Cards, Game of Thrones and Shakespeare’s darkest Roman plays. It involves a man who betrayed his leader only now to return him to power, an alleged murder plot, and two men laying claim to a grand white mansion that is a symbol of political power. Here’s what you need to know about …
Independent of the domestic outcomes of the current constitutional crisis in Sri Lanka, it may have already opened up the floodgates for a neo-Cold War centred on South Asia, and knocking at India’s multiple gates already. For a ‘thinking’ Sri Lankan politician, ‘sacked’ UNP Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, may have done the unthinkable by inviting select western diplomats, and also the Indian envoy, to explain his …
How did Sri Lanka find itself in a crisis and how will it affect its foreign policy? The Diplomat‘s Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) and Prashanth Parameswaran (@TheAsianist) discuss the new constitutional crisis in Sri Lanka and its regional implications. (The Diplomat) https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/thediplomat-episode184.mp3
A political crisis is gripping Sri Lanka as fears deepen over a possible resurgence of violence—and even civil war. The deteriorating political situation comes in the same week as the Indian Ocean country was named as Lonely Planet’s top country for travel of 2019, raising concerns among tourists as to whether the island nation is a safe destination. Last week, President Maithripala Sirisena sacked the country’s …
The return of Mahinda Rajapaksa to power in Sri Lanka has been the subject of speculation for some time. The question was when and how. In 2015, India lent its influence to broker a coalition between Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe to remove Rajapaksa from office. This came after Rajapaksa had given China strategic entry into Sri Lanka, by leasing out Hambantota port to them, allowing …
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