Sri Lanka's political crisis takes a decisive turn as the ousted Prime Minister wins a key majority vote in Parliament

• Sri Lanka’s Parliament voted in favour of a confidence motion on the leadership current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who won the support of 117 out of 225 MPs.
  
• The move could deal a decisive blow to former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s plans to take control of the Sri Lanka’s government as it puts to rest his claims of having majority support.
  
• The country is currently awaiting a decision by the Supreme Court on whether President Maithripala Sirisena’s move to dissolve Parliament in November was illegal or not.

In a move that could deal a decisive blow to former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s plans to take control of the Sri Lanka’s government, the country’s Parliament voted in favour of a confidence motion on the leadership current Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Associated Press reported.

Wickremesinghe, who was unceremoniously booted out of office by President Maithripala Sirisena at the end of October, was able to muster a majority in the Parliament as 117 out of 225 members voted in support of him.

Earlier this week, Wickremesinghe threatened to launch a demonstration, backed by tens of thousands of people in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo if he didn’t retain the prime ministership.

The verdict effectively puts to rest Rajapaksa’s claims of majority support by the country’s lawmakers. Without the backing of the Parliament, Sirisena will not be able to restore his former ally-turned-rival-turned-ally Rajapaksa as Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister.

However, it remains to be seen if Rajapaksa will back down. He has continued to stake his claim on the office of Prime Minister despite losing two no-confidence motions last month in Parliament.

A case against Rajapaksa was subsequently filed by Wickremesinghe’s supporters in the Court of Appeals, which ruled earlier this month through a temporary injunction that Rajapaksa and his unofficial cabinet could no longer take decisions about the country’s governance.

At the end of November, Rajapaksa’s cabinet reportedly signed off on two infrastructure deals with Chinese firms that could add to the strain on the country’s finances.

While a follow-up hearing has been scheduled for next month, Rajapaksa has already filed an appeal in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court.

The apex court, however, is set to make a decision this week on the validity of Sirisena’s decision to dissolve Parliament in early November and call for elections following an interim order to delay the move.

The court is expected to declare the move illegal since the country’s Constitution states that a President can’t dissolve the Parliament unless four and a half years have passed since its first sitting.

The decision will determine whether a fresh round of elections will be held next month or not. As things stand, the political crisis could be in its final leg.


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