Sri Lankan president orders parliament to reconvene November 14

Colombo, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered parliament to reconvene in 10 days, according to an official gazette notification, amid mounting pressure to let legislators resolve a protracted crisis over two rival prime ministers.

The announcement on Sunday came despite opposition calls for an immediate lifting of the legislature’s suspension.

Sirisena had suspended parliamentary proceedings after abruptly firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and replacing him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, a controversial former president.

In recent days, a steady stream of defections has eroded Wickremesinghe’s narrow majority in the 225-member House.

More soon…