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Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Friday (16) announced in parliament that a fresh no-confidence motion on the new government had been passed with a majority vote.

Jayasuriya, for the first time in Sri Lanka's history, entered the floor of the House, protected by hundreds of police personnel and announced the results of the motion. 

Pandemonium reigned in Sri Lanka's Parliament as legislators supporting Mahinda Rajapaksa were trying to prevent the proceedings from taking place. 

The despicable behaviour of these JO MPs were witnessed by many in the diplomatic community who had arrived at parliament to watch today's proceedings.

The Sri Lankan rupee barrelled down again on Thursday, hitting a new record-low as a political crisis deepened after President Maithripala Sirisena said he will not accept a no confidence vote against recently appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The no-confidence motion against Rajapaksa and his government was passed in parliament on Wednesday, with the backing of 122 lawmakers from the 225-member legislature. However, Sirisena said he could not accept the vote as it appeared to have ignored the constitution.

President Maithripala Sirisena said he would not prorogue Parliament under any circumstances. 

In a tweet, the president urged "all Parliamentarians to uphold principles of democracy parliamentary traditions at all times."

The continued reference to Mahinda Rajapaksa as the prime minister by mainstream media is blatant violation of the constitution as well as unethical, parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera said today.

Mahinda Rajapaksa lost the no confidence motion in parliament yesterday and the speaker had conveyed this motion to the president.

According to the speaker, there is no cabinet or a prime minister. Therefore, referring to anyone in the former cabinet as ministers or prime minister would be a violation of the constitution, Samaraweera said.

He further said that they will resort to legal action if the mainstream media fails to recognise the changes adopted and passed by the majority of legislators in parliament.

The Party Leaders who supported the No Confidence Motion against the Prime Minister of the purported government yesterday, took part in a special discussion with President Maithripala Sirisena this evening (15). President has reportedly proposed to remove the clause that states ‘the gazette notification issued by the President is unconstitutional’ and to show the majority in the House.  

Political sources reveal that if the Party Leaders are to comply with the proposal that the President has put forward, he is willing to offer the Premiership to a person who shows the majority in the House.

The leaders of political parties including United National Front (UNF) and the leaders of affiliated parties including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had participated in a meeting held in the Presidential Secretariat.

However, Political analysts and legal experts are of the view that it will be risky to remove and pass the No Confidence Motion by removing that part in the same Motion brought by the JVP that said “ the gazette notification that was issued by the President is illegal."

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in a statement today responded to the allegations made by president Maithripala Sirisena with regard to the no confidence motion that was passed by a majority of members yesterday in parliament. 

"I wish to thank you for reminding me the responsibility of acting independently as the Speaker. It is the stand of the democratic, civilised society that standing up for the 122 Members of Parliament is heeding  the voice of the majority which should not be construed as being biased", Jayasuriya said.

The Speaker also pointed out that the purported ministers of the new government, having realised they do not have majority, resorted to denigrate democratic and parliamentary traditions.

"The Ministers of the new government, having realised they do not have the capability of demonstrating the majority of Parliament, gathered at the well of the House denigrating democratic and parliamentary traditions with absolute disregard for the standing orders, hurling most vituperative and abusive words while trying to grab the mace."

The speaker also reminded the president that it was his decision to appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa as the prime minister which plunged the country into a "serious disorder".

"An unnecessary conflict between the executive and the legislature has been created as a result," he added.

The Speaker urged the president, on behalf of all citizens of the country and the future generations to come, to take expeditious measures to save the nation from this catastrophe.

Full Text of Speaker's statement to the President is as follows;

AFP - Sri Lanka's political crisis descended into farce Thursday with MPs throwing punches and projectiles in parliament, a day after voting the disputed prime minister out of office and leaving the country without a government.

Meanwhile, police said tens of thousands of people took part in a rally in Colombo in support of Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose sacking as prime minister plunged the Indian Ocean nation into turmoil almost three weeks ago.

Aerial view of today's rally in Lipton Roundabout in Colombo

"It was difficult to make out immediately who was hitting whom, but several were hurt, but not seriously," an official in parliament told AFP.

"The speaker adjourned the House till tomorrow (Friday)."

The official said an MP from toppled premier Mahinda Rajapakse's party injured himself trying to rip out the speaker's microphone and had to be taken to hospital with a bleeding hand.

On October 26 President Maithripala Sirisena fired Wickremesinghe as prime minister and replaced him with Rajapakse, Sri Lanka's divisive and seasoned political bruiser.

Two weeks later, Sirisena dissolved the strategically important Indian Ocean nation's parliament and called snap elections for January.

However, these moves were suspended by the Supreme Court on Tuesday pending an investigation. Day-to-day administration in Sri Lanka remains paralysed as the crisis drags on. 

Parliament reconvened on Wednesday and lawmakers approved a motion of no-confidence in what they called Rajapakse's "purported" cabinet, also passing motions declaring Sirisena's moves illegal.

- No government -

Thursday's routine parliament session, the first since Rajapakse and his disputed administration were deposed, began with the speaker announcing that the country now had no government.

"As of now, there is no prime minister, no cabinet ministers and no government in Sri Lanka," said Karu Jayasuriya, wearing his black and gold robe. "I do not recognise anyone as prime minister."

The vote ousting Rajapakse and the Supreme Court's rulings were a major boost to Wickremesinghe.

The four-time prime minister, popular with Western countries for his economic reforms, had refused to leave his official residence after being fired by the president.

Wickremesinghe's party was also staging a mass rally in the capital later Thursday to demonstrate his public support. Hundreds of supporters were being bussed into Colombo for the rally, party officials said.

- Let's have elections -

Addressing parliament Thursday as an ordinary member, Rajapakse asked the house to end the crisis by holding a national election.
"Let's go for an election. We want an election, a general election," Rajapakse said.

But Wickremesinghe's party immediately moved a resolution rejecting Rajapakse's call and demanded a vote that triggered angry protests from legislators loyal to Rajapakse and Sirisena.

Sirisena, who is vested with constitutional powers to induct a new prime minister and a cabinet of ministers, was yet to take note of Wednesday's no-confidence motion.

On Thursday he accused Jayasuriya of violating legislative traditions, saying the signatures of 122 legislators who opposed Rajapakse had not been certified as genuine and also pointed to a typographical error.

"We don't need to submit signatures to the President. All he has to do is take notice of the resolution passed by parliament. He need not be a proofreader," leftist lawmaker Bimal Ratnayake said.

The president also rejected the position that he did not have the power to sack Wickremesinghe and replace him with Rajapakse.- Unbecoming -

The crisis has alarmed the international community.

Germany's ambassador Joern Rohde‏ tweeted on Thursday that it was a "bad day for democracy in Sri Lanka... reading about throwing objects at the speaker and preventing votes is unbecoming of a democracy."

"There is political and economic instability. Our international image has been badly damaged," Jayasuriya told Sirisena in a letter released to the media.

Reading about throwing objects at the speaker and preventing votes is unbecoming of a democracy that has long and proud democratic traditions, the German Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Joern Rohde tweeted today.

Meanwhile, Norwegian Ambassador T. Gaustadsaether emphasized the need to respect democratic institutions and condemned the assault on the Speaker.

"Democracy means respect for institutions. Assaulting the speaker is not according to the principles of Democracy. Political developments in Sri Lanka are causing great concern," the Ambassador tweeted. 

The Speaker was attacked by Rajapaksa loyalist MP Indika Anuruddha, parliament sources said. Jayasuriya soon left the parliament chamber after things were thrown at him. Several media reports said that the Speaker left after a wastepaper basket and some documents were thrown at him.

Former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said that she watched the unprecedented commotion in the parliament with concern and regret.

Members of Parliament supporting Mahinda Rajapaksa throw dustbin at Speaker Karu Sirisena on Thursday at Colombo

“I watched with concern and regret the efforts by some Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) members to betray the peoples’ demands for a better Sri Lanka which gained victory on January 8, 2015.”

Stating that the SLFP, together with many other parties and civil society, had built a massive movement to win the struggle for a decent, honest and prosperous Sri Lanka, she expressed regret for the actions of a section of people in the party. 

“It is regretful that some sections of our beloved party finds it fit to betray all our policies and once again join hands with a political group that destroyed fundamental rights, democracy, democratic institutions and built a destructive network of graft and corruption,” she said.

Kumaratunga said that the scenes being played out in the past few weeks within the sacred precincts of the parliament, in government and outside are destroying the peoples’ confidence in democratic institutions so long treasured and safe-guarded by all Sri Lankans.

“The time has come, as never before, for all Sri Lankans who value freedom, democracy and those institutions that uphold them, such as the parliament, the judiciary, an independent police, armed services and public services, to stand up for freedom and good governance in this country, setting aside all personal political pecuniary interests,” she  added.

Kumaratunga also said that the country has reached a dangerous precipice of chaos, anarchy and breakdown of the rule of law and all peoples must unite to bring it back from the brink and recommence the journey towards enlightened governance. (The Week)

The Speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament, Karu Jayasuriya, on Thursday said that in his view the country did not have a prime minister or cabinet after Wednesday's no-confidence vote.

The parliament passed the no-confidence motion against recently appointed prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government, with the backing of 122 lawmakers from the 225-member legislature.

However, President Maithripala Sirisena in a letter to the speaker said he cannot accept the no-confidence vote as the speaker appeared to have ignored the constitution, parliamentary procedure and traditions.

President Sirisena, who triggered the crisis by firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming Rajapaksa to the job late last month, dissolved parliament last week and ordered elections as a way to break the deadlock.

But the Supreme Court ordered a suspension of that decree on Tuesday until it had heard petitions challenging the move as unconstitutional.

(Reuters)

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL), Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) and The Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) have called for urgent measures to resolve the constitutional crisis that have destabilized the economy. 

The full statement is as follows;

"We are deeply concerned about the current political situation in the country. It is our view that the executive and the elected representatives have a duty to ensure that decisions are taken with regard for due process and the Rule of Law. The events of the last few weeks have resulted in absolute instability which is a situation that Sri Lanka simply cannot afford. This will no doubt hinder development and have a significantly adverse impact on the social and economic trajectory of our country. It is observed that the entire administration of this country has come to a standstill and the public officers are paralyzed being unable to discharge their functions. The ultimate victims are the people of our country. We recently witnessed the most unacceptable and abusive behavior displayed in the Chamber of the Sri Lanka Parliament. The conduct of some of the elected representatives was both shameful and an embarrassment to our country. We call upon all those responsible to accord the highest priority to national interest and refrain from pursuing any path that will result in an economic downfall which will have an adverse impact on the country and the people. We call for urgent and sensible action."

After three weeks of political turmoil, Sri Lanka’s controversially dismissed Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, appears to have gained the upper hand. A majority of lawmakers backed a no-confidence motion in Parliament against Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former President who was sworn in Prime Minister on October 26. 

The Speaker declared the motion to have been passed by voice vote, as Mr. Rajapaksa’s loyalists sought to block the motion being taken up. Mr. Rajapaksa himself walked out of the parliamentary chamber before the vote was taken, with his supporters questioning the no-trust motion being taken up with such urgency. This contention could pale before the fact that as many as 122 MPs, in a House of 225, signed a memorandum expressing lack of confidence in his government to the Speaker. The noisy scenes and attempts to disrupt the vote reflected the deep divisions between the country’s main national parties. 

Mr. Sirisena’s decisions in the last three weeks have been against the letter and spirit of the Constitution, especially the reforms enacted in 2015 to curb the vast powers that come with his office. He removed the Prime Minister despite constitutional restrictions on doing so and had another sworn in. He prorogued Parliament to delay the demonstration of a parliamentary majority by Mr. Rajapaksa. On being confronted with the reality that the numbers were stacked against Mr. Rajapaksa, the President dissolved the legislature itself. The House was revived by an interim order from the Supreme Court. 

It is now clearer than ever that Mr. Sirisena had needlessly plunged the country into a deep crisis by replacing the Prime Minister without ascertaining the numbers in the House. It is quite surprising that Mr. Rajapaksa, whose political instincts ought to have made him decide otherwise, agreed to be sworn in solely on the premise that he could induce crossovers. 

With these two leaders smarting under the setback in Parliament, it is difficult to consider the latest development as the end of political uncertainty. Mr. Sirisena needs to appoint a new Prime Minister immediately, but is averse to Mr. Wickremesinghe returning to that office. He had earlier indicated that he offered the post to two other members of Mr. Wickremesinghe’s United National Party, but had to appoint Mr. Rajapaksa as they had turned down the offer. It would be untenable if he lets Mr. Rajapaksa continue as a lame duck Prime Minister by again invoking his powers to prorogue the House. 

It is time that Mr. Sirisena, who was elected on a promise of political and institutional reform, showed some statesmanship and found a way to work with Mr. Wickremesinghe again. It would be unwise for him to further exacerbate the crisis. He would do better to turn the page and focus on problems such as Sri Lanka’s bleak economic situation and unresolved minority concerns. 

Note: Editorial today (15) by "The Hindu".