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 in a vote a protracted crisis over two rival prime ministers.
The announcement on Sunday came despite international calls for an immediate lifting of the legislature’s suspension.
Sirisena had suspended parliamentary proceedings until November 16 after abruptly firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, a controversial former president.
The parliament will now meet on November 14 at 10am local time (4:30 GMT), according to the gazette.
Wickremesinghe has called his sacking on October 26 unconstitutional and demanded a vote to prove his majority. But in recent days, a steady stream of defections has eroded his narrow majority in the 225-member House.
His United National Party (UNP) submitted a no-confidence motion against Rajapaksa on Friday after the former president’s party said it would not hold a vote to test support for the rival leaders even when the legislature reconvened.
The UNP said the petition has the backing of 118 legislators – five more than the majority of 113 required to vote out a prime minister.
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