Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved the Parliament after the recent replacement of the Prime Minister.
The decision seems to have negated the letter and spirit of recent constitutional reforms.
What is the rationale?
Many parties questioned the legality of the recent dismissal of Mr. Wickremesinghe as the PM.
With around 100 MPs each in the 225-member House, both rival camps claimed they had the majority.
But a 15-member alliance of Tamil MPs and six Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna lawmakers refused to support the new regime.
The President's move thus came after it became evident that the newly appointed PM Rajapaksa did not enjoy a legislative majority.
It was intended to buy Mr. Rajapaksa time to garner support through defections.
It seems to be an act of desperation to prevent a likely loss of face for both leaders.
What is the Constitutional dispute?
The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration introduced in 2015 a new provision in the Constitution through the 19th Amendment.
Accordingly, the House cannot be dissolved for four and a half years after a parliamentary election, unless two-thirds of its total membership seeks dissolution through a resolution.
It is only a little over three years since the last election, and there is also no request from MPs seeking the dissolution of Parliament.
So Mr. Sirisena’s action comes as a violation of this restriction.
But Article 33(2)(c) was cited as the legal backup for the recent move.
It says the President has the power to summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament.
However, a general provision enumerating some powers overriding a specific provision that expressly limits those powers remains contentious.
How does the future look?
The promises held out by the 2015 reforms seem to have vanished with Mr. Sirisena’s actions.
The undermining of the recent constitutional reforms may no longer instil confidence in the promises of writing a new, inclusive Constitution.
The Opposition parties are now set to challenge the President’s action.
Sri Lanka is thus at a crossroads to make a crucial choice between democratic consolidation and a retreat to authoritarianism.
