Sri Lanka to lift Parliament suspension in 10 days as pressure mounts

Colombo, Nov 4: Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday announced that he would lift the suspension of parliament in 10 days as international pressure mounted on him to open the legislature and resolve a leadership struggle.

Sirisena had on Friday promised the parliamentary speaker that he would recall the assembly on Wednesday.

He shut parliament a day after sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26 and appointing former president Mahinda Rajapakse to the post.

However, Wickremesinghe insisted he was still prime minister and demanded a vote in parliament to prove his majority. The closure of the assembly prevented a vote to decide who enjoyed the majority of the 225-member assembly.

The United Nations had led a chorus of international voices demanding an early resumption of parliament to end the bitter power struggle between Wickremesinghe and Rajapakse.