Politics
As Ex-Premier Returns, Calls for Sri Lanka Election Grow Louder
- Ousted Wickremesinghe sworn in Sunday, but infighting resumes
- President fired Wickremesinghe Oct. 26, triggering turmoil
This article is for subscribers only.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena bowed to mounting pressure and reinstated Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister, but renewed hostility between the two leaders suggest a fresh election might be the only way to end the island nation’s protracted political crisis.
Sirisena on Sunday swore in Wickremesinghe, who he’d abruptly fired on Oct. 26 and replaced with former strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa. His actions seven weeks ago started a bout of political turmoil that prompted Moody’s, S&P and Fitch to cut the country’s credit rating. But shortly after reinstating the man he’d earlier dismissed, Sirisena cast doubt on the ability of the two to work together as calls for a new election grew louder.