The Speaker of Sri Lanka's Parliament has warned his country could descend into political violence if the legislature remains suspended throughout a leadership struggle that has plunged the island nation into a constitutional crisis.
The capital Colombo was gripped by political intrigue after President Maithripala Sirisena said he had to fire Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe late last week because of an assassination plot and Wickremesinghe responded by describing his ousting as an anti-democratic coup.
Sirisena appointed former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa, who ruled between 2005 and 2015, as the country's new Prime Minister.
On Saturday, Sirisena suspended Parliament and by Sunday one person has been killed - and two injured - when a Cabinet minister's security detail opened fire on Rajapaksa supporters inside the Ceylon Petroleum Corp headquarters.
"We should settle this through Parliament," Karu Jayasuriya told reporters in the central district of Kandy. "If we take it out to the streets, there will be bloodshed."
The upheaval ushers in a new period of political uncertainty in Sri Lanka, which saw economic growth last year hit the slowest pace since 2001. Moody's Investors Service has warned social tensions over the next few weeks could damage the economy and investor sentiment, even as the US called on Sirisena to reconvene Parliament and other foreign embassies warned they were monitoring the situation closely.
The appointment of Rajapaksa - whose Administration was criticised by human rights groups for extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and jailing journalists - is good news for China, which enjoyed close ties with Sri Lanka during a 10-year rule that saw the island nation rack up large debts to fund infrastructure projects.
Rajapaksa said he accepted the premiership in order to steer the country out of "deep crisis," the state-run Daily News reported.
Wickremesinghe had attempted to re-balance Sri Lanka's foreign relations away from China and towards India and Japan.
People returned to work as normal yesterday, with little added security visible on the streets.
The avenue leading up to Sirisena's official residence was barricaded over the weekend, and law enforcement officials cancelled holidays for police officers. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera did not answer calls to his mobile phone.
Wickremesinghe said he still commanded the majority backing in Parliament and called for a special session of the legislature to prove it. For that the suspension needs to be lifted.
"Parliament is supreme," Wickremesinghe told reporters.
Outside Wickremesinghe's official residence in the capital, there were a handful of Buddhist priests chanting prayers. Buddhist flags lined streets around the area.
Relations between Wickremesinghe and Sirisena had been strained this year, especially after their coalition was defeated in local government elections by a party backed by Rajapaksa.
"Sirisena's drive to push out Wickremesinghe points to his attempts to preserve his political standing," said Shailesh Kumar, Asia director with political risk firm Eurasia Group, adding that the local election results showed Rajapaksa maintained strong support.
"With respect to debt, leverage will likely pick up once again with Rajapaksa in a decision making seat as he will likely court Chinese investments all over again. He will unwind the policy date which sought balanced relations between India and China."
Wickremesinghe on April 4 survived a no-confidence vote brought by Rajapaksa loyalists. Sirisena had also shuffled his Cabinet several times and this month called for a change in leadership at Sri Lanka's two main state banks, people who had been picked by Wickremesinghe. Over the weekend, both men lobbied lawmakers for support.
Rajapaksa's supporters seemed well prepared for the surprising shift of power. By Sunday, posters and billboards sporting a smiling Sirisena and Rajapaksa had popped up around the capital.
- Bloomberg