Supporters of Sri Lanka's ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe shout slogans during a protest against his removal, near the Prime Minister's official residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators blocked the center of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on Tuesday, a show of force by ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in his confrontation with President Sirisena and his sulphurous predecessor Rajapakse.
Fired Friday to everyone’s surprise by the president , Maithripala Sirisena, the former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe denounces his dismissal as unconstitutional and clings to power.
His supporters gathered on Tuesday afternoon in support in front of his official residence, where he has been entrenched since the start of the political crisis, paralyzing key roads in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo .
One hundred thousand people participated in this gathering according to the United National Party (UNP), the political formation of Ranil Wickremesinghe, 25,000 according to the police. The rally broke up in the early evening without any violent incidents being reported.
“Down with the rogue Prime Minister”
“We are against the dismissal, people did not vote for Sirisena to behave in this way,” Ranil Wickremesinghe told his supporters from an improvised podium. “We will resist what the president did. “
The crowd dressed in green, the color of the UNP, also tore up effigies of President Sirisena and sang “Down with the rogue prime minister” in protest at what many local newspapers called a “constitutional coup” .
Appointed new head of government, Mahinda Rajapakse, the ex-president (2005-2015), has already announced part of his own government. The two camps are negotiating the defections of opposing deputies in the event of a vote of confidence.
The international community supports the former Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe is calling for an emergency session of Parliament, suspended by the president until November 16, to prove that he still holds the majority. The international community has also called for the assembly to be called “immediately” so that it can decide between the two parties.
The President of Parliament, who said he feared a “bloodbath” if the deputies are not consulted to decide, wrote Tuesday to President Sirisena asking him to convene the assembly. “If you don’t do this, we will not be able to prevent the people from resorting to alternative means to protect their democratic rights , “ said Karu Jayasuriya.
Tuesday afternoon, after defections on both sides, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s camp held 105 out of 225 seats in Parliament and Mahinda Rajapakse-Maithripala Sirisena 98. The majority of the 22 remaining MPs are expected to support Mr. Wickremesinghe in the event of a vote but many negotiations are underway, according to observers.
“The army will not get involved”
In this country scarred by four decades of civil war, the Sri Lankan military is keeping itself apart from this crisis, which they leave to politicians to resolve.
“The army will not get involved” , declared its leader Mahesh Senanayake, questioned by AFP on the attitude of the armed forces if the blockade were to continue. “The police are responsible for maintaining law and order and only if they ask for our help will we help,” he said.
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