Sri Lanka’s president finally checked: Court rules to bring back parliament

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked the president from dissolving Parliament, raising the possibility that the former prime minister could reclaim the post after weeks of unnerving political drama.

Sri Lanka has been in crisis since late last month, when President Maithripala Sirisena abruptly fired Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, accusing him of being inept and corrupt. He then swore in a new prime minister: Mahinda Rajapaksa, a popular former president who has been accused of human rights abuses. Many lawmakers and government ministers denounced the move. Protests erupted.

Wickremesinghe refused to leave his official residence and demanded that Parliament be summoned to prove he still had support.

Instead, Sirisena dissolved Parliament and called for new elections. Opponents said he had done so because Rajapaksa could not assemble a majority. The manoeuvrings were seen as a backdoor way to bring Rajapaksa and his allies back into power.

Sirisena saw his power checked for the first time when the court issued its interim order Tuesday. Parliament is now set to reconvene on Wednesday, and most analysts believe Wickremesinghe has the support of a majority of lawmakers and could be reinstated as prime minister.

Some of Sirisena’s critics said the president had strayed so far from the law that his decision to dissolve Parliament could signal the end of constitutional rule in Sri Lanka.

The court’s order is not final, but the judges indicated that there was enough merit to block the president’s actions. More hearings are scheduled for December.

As soon as the decision was announced on Tuesday, celebrations erupted outside the Supreme Court in central Colombo, the capital. Supporters of Wickremesinghe chanted “down with the fake Prime Minister!” as soldiers and police officers in riot gear stood by.

The court, which heard more than 10 different petitions against the president’s actions, also blocked the president’s plan to call snap elections for January. Elections were not expected before 2020, unless a supermajority in Parliament called for them.

Sirisena still has the power to suspend the Parliament and delay its next meeting.

© 2018 New York Times News Service