Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has dissolved parliament and called a snap election, a move that the country’s biggest party said it would challenge legally next week.
The Sri Lankan leader’s decision has plunged the South Asian island into further political turmoil two weeks after he sacked incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former president and strongman populist Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Parliament was set to convene on November 14 to vote on who was the country’s legitimate premier but Mr Sirisena has now called for an election to take place on January 5, leaving Mr Rajapaksa as Sri Lanka’s potential caretaker prime minister until then.
The move was widely criticised by lawmakers who represent a majority in the 225-seat parliament. They have called Mr Sirisena’s move unconstitutional and an attack on democracy in Asia’s oldest.
Susil Premajayantha, a member of Mr Rajapaksa’s party, said the president had called the snap election to end the political crisis and put the choice to the Sri Lankan people.
“Now we have a caretaker government with limited functions,” he said. “We will conduct a free and fair election.”
But the party of Mr Wickremesinghe, the United National Party (UNP), said it will challenge the decision at the Supreme Court.
“We will go to the courts,” Mangala Samaraweera, finance minister for Mr Wickremesinghe, said. “We will fight in the courts, we will fight in parliament and we will fight at the polls.”
The ousted prime minister has holed himself in the official residence of the premier, known as Temple Trees, surrounded by thousands of his supporters who say they are there to protect him from removal.
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Read more:
Sri Lanka's Tamils fear bloody return of 'Tiger killer' Mahinda Rajapaksa
Sri Lankan press freedom crushed following Mahinda Rajapaksa’s return
Inside Temple Trees: Prime minister’s bungalow becomes Sri Lanka’s seed of resistance
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Mr Sirisena’s decision comes after it became clear that his choice for prime minister would not garner enough votes in parliament to secure a majority.
His decision and suspension of parliament in order to delay a vote on the prime minister has been tainted by accusations of vote-buying. One lawmaker from Mr Wickremesinghe’s party said he was offered $2.8 million and a ministerial position in return for joining Mr Rajapaksa’s side.
To consolidate his position and his decision, Mr Sirisena has taken control of state media outlets and appointed ministers to his side. They will have access to state resources ahead of the election.
The man who served as president for ten years from 2005 to 2015, and ended the civil war with the Tamil Tigers through a bloody offensive, has not given a public address about his nomination as prime minister.
But he reacted to Mr Sirisena’s decision on Saturday. "... A general election will truly establish the will of the people and make way for a stable country," he wrote on Twitter.
The majority of the international community has criticised Mr Sirisena’s moves as not adhering to the constitution. Washington was quick to protest his sacking of parliament.
"The US is deeply concerned by news the Sri Lanka parliament will be dissolved, further deepening the political crisis," the US State Department said in a statement.
"As a committed partner of Sri Lanka, we believe democratic institutions and processes need to be respected to ensure stability and prosperity," it said.
The country is likely to remain paralysed for the next two months if Mr Sirisena’s plans go ahead, with two parallel governments operating almost side-by-side in Colombo, the country’s capital.
Mr Rajapaksa, as caretaker prime minister, at least for now, will remain so until a new parliament convenes on January 17 after the election.
SPECS
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Transmission: 6-speed automatic
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The specs
Engine: 3.0 twin-turbo inline six-cylinder
Transmission: eight-speed
Power: 503hp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: from Dh400,000 (estimate)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Draw
Quarter-finals
Real Madrid (ESP) or Manchester City (ENG) v Juventus (ITA) or Lyon (FRA)
RB Leipzig (GER) v Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Barcelona (ESP) or Napoli (ITA) v Bayern Munich (GER) or Chelsea (ENG)
Atalanta (ITA) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Ties to be played August 12-15 in Lisbon
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kinetic 7
Started: 2018
Founder: Rick Parish
Based: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Industry: Clean cooking
Funding: $10 million
Investors: Self-funded
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Kandahar
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Stars: Gerard Butler, Navid Negahban, Ali Fazal
Rating: 2.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 210hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: Starting from Dh89,900
On sale: Now
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
Bahrain GP
Friday qualifying: 7pm (8pm UAE)
Saturday race: 7pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
Signs of heat stroke
- The loss of sodium chloride in our sweat can lead to confusion and an altered mental status and slurred speech
- Body temperature above 39°C
- Hot, dry and red or damp skin can indicate heatstroke
- A faster pulse than usual
- Dizziness, nausea and headaches are also signs of overheating
- In extreme cases, victims can lose consciousness and require immediate medical attention
More from UAE Human Development Report:
Specs: 2024 McLaren Artura Spider
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and electric motor
Max power: 700hp at 7,500rpm
Max torque: 720Nm at 2,250rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
0-100km/h: 3.0sec
Top speed: 330kph
Price: From Dh1.14 million ($311,000)
On sale: Now
HAJJAN
Director: Abu Bakr Shawky
Starring: Omar Alatawi, Tulin Essam, Ibrahim Al-Hasawi
Rating: 4/5
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail