Sri Lankan president reinstates sacked PM, ending 51-day power struggle
- Ranil Wickremesinghe’s comeback is an embarrassment for President Maithripala Sirisena, who replaced him with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa
Sri Lanka has an undisputed prime minister for the first time in more than 50 days after one of the two men who have claimed to lawfully occupy the post was sworn in on Sunday, a day after his challenger resigned.
Supporters of Ranil Wickremesinghe celebrated the defeat of a “coup” as he signed official papers in Colombo, marking the end of a crisis that left the country without a prime minister or cabinet and on the verge of a government shutdown.
But analysts warned of more instability ahead for the Indian Ocean island including the possibility of increased anti-western rhetoric and resentment towards the country’s Tamil minority.
Wickremesinghe had planned to be sworn in at 11.16am on Sunday morning, an auspicious time according to Sinhala tradition, but was delayed by the late arrival of President Maithripala Sirisena.
It augured poorly for a political relationship that has turned toxic in the past 18 months, culminating in Sirisena’s surprise announcement in October that he was firing Wickremesinghe.
Wickremesinghe said his return was a victory “for Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions”.
Pictures from the ceremony posted on social media by Wickremesinghe’s allies – journalists were prevented from attending – showed the pair grinning with palms clasped towards each other.
