Maithripala Sirisena dissolves Sri Lankan Parliament

Colombo, Nov 9: Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena has dissolved Parliament, days after the island nation plunged into a political crisis after Ranil Wickramasinghe was sacked as the Prime Minister.

This means that the fresh elections could be held in the country in January-February, reported Reuters while quoting sources.

On Wednesday, Sri Lankan Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said he wanted a floor test in Parliament to resolve the issue of two prime ministers in the country which arose following the sacking of Ranil Wickremesinghe and replacing him with Mahinda Rajapaksa.

President Sirisena suspended parliament immediately after his October 26 decision to sack Wickremesinghe, a move that was being seen as to allow Mahinda Rajapaksa to muster the 113 seats required for majority. Rajapaksa has so far won 9 defections, still short of 113 to prove his majority in the 225-member House.

Wickremesinghe continues to claim he is the lawful prime minister citing the 19th amendment to the Constitution under which the president's powers to sack the Prime Minister had been stripped. The unity government was formed in 2015 when Sirisena was elected President with Wickremesinghe's support, ending a nearly decade-long rule by Rajapaksa.