Srisena usurped MPs' powers
Sri Lanka's parliamentary Speaker yesterday accused President Maithripala Sirisena of "usurping" the rights of legislators and asked public servants not to carry out his "illegal orders".
Karu Jayasuriya in a hard-hitting statement said Sirisena's actions since October 26 to sack Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and dissolve parliament undermined the freedoms of the people.
"I have watched over the last two weeks as the executive branch has seized the rights and usurped the powers of members of parliament who were elected to represent the people.
"I call upon all public servants to refuse to execute any illegal orders they may receive, no matter from whom."
Sirisena triggered an unprecedented constitutional crisis on October 26 when he sacked Wickremesinghe and replaced him with former leader Mahinda Rajapakse.
Sirisena dismissed parliament on Friday and called new polls for January 5, throwing the island into fresh chaos as the United States urged Sri Lanka to respect democratic processes.
Meanwhile, Rajapakse yesterday vowed snap elections would go ahead to "seek a mandate from the people".
Rajapakse, a former president who led Sri Lanka with an iron fist for a decade, said "no one" could stop the polls going ahead.
"The election will go ahead and I am confident we will sweep the election," he told reporters yesterday in his first remarks since the polls were called.
His rival Wickremesinghe insists he still heads the government and has refused to vacate the prime minister's official residence in Colombo.
The United States has led a chorus of international voices expressing concern over threats to democracy in the island of 21 million people strategically located in the Indian Ocean. In separate statements EU, UK, Canada and Australia all have condemned the crisis.
Only China has recognised Rajapakse's appointment as prime minister. Wickremesinghe is thought to be close to India while Rajapakse is closer to China.
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