COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Thousands of Sri Lankans have marched in the capital to demand the president immediately convene Parliament to resolve a deepening political crisis following his sacking of the prime minister.
More than 10,000 people, including lawmakers and rights activists, marched in Colombo on Tuesday, shouting slogans and displaying banners and placards. They then held a rally near the official residence of the sacked prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe.
President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed Wickremesinghe and his Cabinet on Friday and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa. On Saturday, Sirisena suspended Parliament in an apparent move to give Rajapaksa time to muster enough support to survive any no-confidence vote. Wickremesinghe says he still controls a parliamentary majority.
Political leaders have urged Sirisena to reconvene Parliament to resolve the crisis.
