Sri Lanka’s political crisis escalated Friday with the sacked prime minister demanding his job back shortly after passing another no-confidence motion against his controversial successor amid unprecedented rioting in parliament.
The Indian Ocean nation has been paralysed since October 26 when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as premier and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse.
With a second no-trust vote against Rajapakse Friday despite raucous scenes that involved his supporters throwing chilli powder at their opponents, Wickremesinghe demanded the restoration of status quo prior to October 26.
“Let the status quo come back,” Wickremesinghe told Colombo-based foreign correspondents at his Temple Trees residence where he remained holed up after refusing to accept his sacking three weeks ago. “The country needs stability….
Source: Seychelles News Agency
