As Sri Lankan Prez dissolves parliament, the world reclines the nation to stabalise on democratic process

Colombo, November 10: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday dissolved the 225-member Parliament, paving the way for snap elections about two years ahead of schedule. The decision came after Sirisena’s United People’s Freedom Alliance announced that it did not have the necessary numbers to get its prime ministerial nominee Mahinda Rajapaksa through the legislature. The UPFA is eight legislators short of a majority in the Parliament.

 

Sirisena had previously suspended the Parliament till November 16. However, on November 1, he lifted the suspension after coming under severe criticism. In a dramatic turn of events, President Sirisena had last month replaced PM Wickremesinghe with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and also dropped his entire cabinet.

India’s take:

India today said, it is monitoring the situation related to political development in Sri Lanka. In reply to a media query, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in New Delhi that so far the situation is unclear in that country. He hoped that democratic process will be respected in Sri Lanka.

Western Nations take on Sri Lanka:
The United States said, it is deeply concerned by the news that Sri Lanka Parliament has been dissolved, further deepening the political crisis. In a statement, it said they believe democratic institutions and processes need to be respected to ensure stability and prosperity.

The United Kingdom also raised concerns over the decision to dissolve the Parliament days before it was due to be reconvened. Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs said in a statement they believe this action undermines Sri Lanka's long democratic tradition and poses a risk to its stability and prosperity. Similar views were expressed by Canada another nations.